Play Your Part, Yugi
by DarthAnimus
Summary: AU - PYP2: Katsuya returns to school and finds himself making a new friend. Together with Yugi he joins the school drama club in an attempt to help his new pal get his crush, Yami, while trying to avoid Kaiba. YYY KJ
1. Casting

Author's Notes: In this chapter's original version I had Katsuya call Anzu 'oneesama' as a joke. However, I decided that the comment would be more amusing when translated to English. So, yeah, the bit with Katsuya calling Anzu 'honourable older sister' isn't as odd as it might appear. It's the literal translation of the word 'oneesama'. Now that I have finished ranting, enjoy the first chapter of the second part of the Play Your Part –series.

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 1**

**Casting**

Katsuya was not really a bad student. According to the statistics he was average. He would probably be above average if he ever bothered to study, which the blond never seemed to have any motivation for. This was an after-effect of having been unable to do anything when his family fell apart. After that Katsuya had not really deemed anything to really be worth his time.

Still, Katsuya's current predicament had nothing to do with test results or any possible angst, teenage or other, that he might have been going through. No, he was simply running late from school, on the first day of all days, and simply because he had forgotten to reset his alarm clock. Throughout the summer Katsuya had been getting up at nine o'clock for work but school started at eight exactly. Fortunately Osamu had caught on and woken his son up. Katsuya probably broke any and all records for quick dressing up before he grabbed the toast covered with honey that his father had been courteous enough to make for him and dashed out the door with a 'bye' that was very muffled by the toast that was hanging from his mouth.

It was with actually some minutes to spare that Katsuya appeared at the classroom door, panting heavily and his clothes in disarray. Well, he had been aiming to getting dressed up quickly, not neatly.

"Morning!" Katsuya exclaimed as an overall greeting because the blond really had no reason not to wish a good morning to all of his classmates. There were some mumbled replies and some stayed silent, having no idea if they had been addressed or not despite having known Katsuya the whole of the previous school year. The actual, proper greeting came from Honda, who came up to him and slapped him on the back before commenting: "Good job on being somewhere on time for once."

The second, and last, reply came from Mazaki Anzu, who instantly cheered and rushed to him, exclaiming a bright: "Morning, Jou-kun!" that certainly left everyone wondering how something like this came to be. The brunette smiled brightly at Katsuya before she saw the state Katsuya was in and instantly began to frown in a manner that brought Katsuya's thoughts back to summer when the girl had been fixing his apron day after time and time after time. With a disapproving huff the girl began to scold Katsuya: "Honestly, Jou-kun, have you no sense of appearance? Come here and let me fix your jacket." Without waiting for Katsuya to reply Anzu had reached out and started to straighten Katsuya's school jacket, actually going as far as attempting to close the buttons of the blue thing. The press comes on the word 'attempting', because as much as Katsuya appreciated the gesture of having a feminine figure care for him for the first time in a long while, the blond still deeply opposed to looking like one of the nerds. He had a reputation to uphold.

The ending result of the minimal scuffle that took place between the two classmates had Katsuya with his jacket still open, thank goodness, and with Anzu pouting. Katsuya was grinning at the girl cheekily as he spoke out playfully: "That'll be enough, honourable older sister."

Anzu actually landed a smack on his arm for that one, but it did not really matter. Anzu hit like a girl.

Suddenly Katsuya felt a shiver run up his spine. It was very close to the feeling he got whenever his father's eyes were glued to his back, except that this look did not carry a feeling of threat along with it. Katsuya quickly turned his head to the side and his eyes instantly fell on a student sitting in the very back of the classroom. Unreadable blue eyes locked with his own brown ones and another shiver rushed through Katsuya's body. Katsuya turned his face away but still felt Seto stare at his head, causing his cheeks to heat up as he wondered what the brunet could possibly be thinking about.

Any further thoughts that Katsuya might have had were cut off by the teacher's arrival and he quickly hurried to his seat, along with any other students who had been loitering around in the classroom.

Immediately a series of whispers broke out. Someone had walked into the classroom along with the teacher. The young boy had deeply tanned skin and sharp eyes that were a strange color of reddish purple. The teenager also had a wild mane of dark hair that shone partially crimson. The hair was bright golden at the front and Katsuya had a faint feeling that he had seen hair like this before somewhere.

A startled gasp came from the row of desks left from Katsuya and the blond turned his head to look at a small boy with hair that stood up in every possible angle. Mutou Yugi was the boy's name, and now Katsuya knew whom the newcomer looked like. The new student looked very much like Mutou, but only because of his hair. Otherwise the boy standing mutely next to the teacher seemed to be Yugi's opposite. The square eyes were nothing like Yugi's round ones and the tall and dark frame was a big contrast to Yugi's pale and small one.

"Alright, class, today we have a new student joining our group", the teacher, Sawa Himiko, spoke in a cheerful tone of voice that rivalled Anzu's on a good morning. The woman turned to the boy standing next to her and spoke out: "How about you introduce yourself."

'What does she think this is? Second grade?' Katsuya thought with aggravation as the tan boy at the front of the class turned around with an awkward look on his face and started to write down his name in neat kanji.

'Otomya Yami", it read on the class blackboard and the boy who had written it turned back to the class and bowed slightly.

"My name is Otomya Yami", the boy said and then there were various coos, sighs and exclamations from the female population of the class. The girl sitting in front of Katsuya leaned over to whisper to her friend in a voice that Katsuya clearly heard: "That name suits him so well. He's all dark and mysterious."

"I'll say", the other girl replied with a bubbly giggle that made Katsuya want to bash his head against his desk. In the meantime Sawa-sensei had told Otomya where he could sit and the teen in question made his way down the rows of desks, sitting down in the free spot positioned two desks behind Katsuya's own. This was a slight put-down for the blond, since he had been raising hopes of pelting the chick-magnet with some spit balls. Even though Katsuya was not as much of a troublemaker as he had been in middle school, that did not mean that he was completely well behaved. And besides, the class did not need some 'new kid' to steal the attention of all the girls. Honda would surely agree with him on this.

The rest of the class proceeded just like all other classes that they had had during the previous school year. It was broken only every now and then by some whispers uttered by some girls, usually accompanied by some poorly concealed giggles. Katsuya could very well guess what they were taking about, or rather **whom** they were talking about.

As frustrating it was that this Otomya had everyone's attention, Katsuya would not let it ruin his day. After all, this was not anything that he had not seen before whenever girls swooned over Seto. A small grin spread on the blond's lips. Try as they might, none of those girls would ever get Seto to kiss them. A snicker came out from Katsuya's mouth unbidden and at that instant he felt eyes on him again. He quickly glanced at the teacher to see if he was in trouble but noticed that the woman had her back to him as she wrote some course goals on the board. With the teacher ruled out there were not many possible options left, and somehow Katsuya just knew that it was Seto who was staring at him.

For the second time that day, Katsuya blushed.

&&&&&&&

After the lesson was over Katsuya hurried out of class, feeling like he was the prey in a nature document, hunted by a carnivorous beast. Seto definitely fit in to the role of a predator perfectly with his silent intensity that had Katsuya almost crawling up walls to get away from its range.

It seemed that Katsuya was not fast enough to get away from the unknown threat of Seto's unreadable gazes. The blond did not get as far as halfway down the first hallway when he was grabbed from behind and whirled around so that his back was slammed against the wall that was now behind him. The impact was not painful, making it clear that the person holding Katsuya down did not want to harm him, merely make sure he stayed put.

"Katsuya", Seto started softly but sternly. The tone of voice captured Katsuya's attention more effectively than any words the brunet could have spoken. A slight feeling of heat crawled up Katsuya's neck but did not reach his face. He had noticed that Seto had used his first name and he was not sure what to think about that. He got defensive.

"That's Jounouchi, Kaiba", Katsuya snapped at the brunet standing in front of him. As he stared intently into deep blue eyes, he saw how they momentarily widened before they narrowed in a displeased glared. Katsuya's eyes shifted lower to Seto's pale lips when the brunet opened his mouth and started to speak: "I see that there is one very important matter that I need to inform you of…" The taller teen's voice had become dangerously low as he leaned closer to Katsuya's face, his hands keeping an unbreakable grip on the blond's arms.

An odd feeling surged in Katsuya's stomach and the blond felt himself grow cold even with Seto's body heat so close. Taking a deep, shivering breath, Katsuya grit his teeth and attempted to struggle against the hold Seto had on him.

"Damn it, Kaiba", Katsuya hissed heatedly as he glared at the brunet. "Let me go."

Slowly, the hands gripping Katsuya's arms loosened their hold. Katsuya saw a contemplative look on Seto's face before the brunet released him completely and backed away a step. It was a very short step but Katsuya decided it was enough.

"I still want to talk to you", Seto insisted and Katsuya released a sigh before grumbling: "I'm really in no mood for this, Kaiba."

The defiant look on Seto's face was expected, as was his snarled response: "But last summer-"

"Should be forgotten", Katsuya cut the brunet off. He sighed again as he turned his eyes away from Seto's own, knowing that he would not be able to look the brunet into the eye when he lied. "I was merely playing a role, Kaiba. I assure you that you have nothing to worry about, I'm not going to be bringing it up anywhere so neither should you." Finally certain that he would not falter and blurt out his true feelings on the matter, Katsuya turned his face to Seto once more and finished: "Just leave me alone, Kaiba."

The look on Seto's face was one of anger. The emotion was strong on the brunet's face and Katsuya had half-expected the next action the taller teen initiated. Seto's hand shot out and gripped Katsuya's upper arm. The blond was too slow to avoid being caught and was once more faced with Seto's blue eyes; this time the sight was accompanied by an angry furrowing of the thin eyebrows.

"I've had enough of you acting like you are the one calling the shots here", Seto uttered in an angered tone. Katsuya scowled right back at the brunet and for the longest time the two attempted to stare each other down.

"Excuse me", a timid voice spoke out suddenly and both Seto and Katsuya blinked in surprise simultaneously when they realized the words were directed at them. Both of their heads turned to the direction the voice had come from and Katsuya instantly recognized the small boy standing right next to them, Mutou Yugi. The two taller teens had not noticed the shorter one come right next to them; they had been too focused on each other.

"Um…I'm sorry but the principal requested Jounouchi-kun's presence in his office", Mutou spoke out timidly, his voice barely audible. The bowed deeply in apology before continuing: "He told Jounouchi-kun to come see him as soon as possible."

"Honestly…" Seto growled lowly, directing his eyes back to Katsuya. "Can't you stay out of trouble for one single day? What on earth did you do?"

"None of your business", Katsuya shot at the brunet. The truth was that Katsuya had no idea what the principal wanted with him either. Katsuya had not been in school long enough to have done anything punishable and even if he had, the blond would know what it was what he had done. Katsuya knew the rules of the school very well, mostly because he had been spending the two previous years of high school breaking those rules.

"Sorry, Kaiba, we'll have to move our talk to some later time", Katsuya said to Seto with an apologetic smile that was clearly face. Seto also noticed this, if the way the brunet pressed his mouth into a thin line was any indication. Katsuya dared to give the taller teen a rogue grin and add: "Not that I think we even had something to talk about in the first place." That said the blond turned to Mutou. "Let's go then."

"R-right", the small boy gasped out and turned away to start walking down the corridor towards the stairs. Katsuya followed after him, not sparing Seto another glance.

"So, what does the principal want with me?" Katsuya spoke out when he and Mutou were out of Seto's hearing range. The blond grew even more curious when the short boy blushed a deep red and kept his eyes focused on the floor, like he was afraid that Katsuya would beat him up if he told the truth. When he noticed that Katsuya suddenly became fully aware of just who he was walking up the stairs with: Mutou Yugi. Mutou was the one boy in their school who everyone knew without having to be popular at all. The reason for this was that Mutou was known as Bully-Magnet Mutou. Not a day went by without one punk or another amusing themselves by bullying the small boy. Heck, even the more sinister girls in their schools went out on the small boy.

"I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything that acquires punishment yet", Katsuya continued and attempted to give his voice a non-threatening edge to get Mutou to talk to him. "And I don't think the principal is able to carry a grudge from the previous year and wait past the vacation to punish me for anything I might have done at the end of last year."

If possible, the deep flush on Mutou's cheeks became even darker. The boy's voice was incredibly soft, even softer than it had been when he had interrupted Katsuya and Seto's argument, as he started to speak: "The reason is that the principal doesn't want to see you, not really."

The unexpected words had Katsuya pausing in his steps as he blinked and stared at Mutou. The shorter teen also stopped walking and glanced quickly at Katsuya's face before lowering his gaze again. After a moment Katsuya gave up trying to comprehend the situation and decided to simply ask for answers.

"Then why did you say he wanted to see me?" Katsuya questioned from the boy standing in front of him. "What was the point in claiming otherwise?" The blond was later on glad that he had been so curious that he had completely forgotten to get angry about being lied to. If he had snapped at Mutou then the small boy would have probably run off and avoided Katsuya for weeks in fear of a beating the blond would never be low enough to give.

"Ah…Well, you see", Mutou started while he lifted his gaze to shyly meet Katsuya's own. "You looked like you didn't want to be in Kaiba-kun's company. I could see that you were being stopped from leaving, so I…" Mutou smiled in an embarrassed manner as he scratched the side of his head. "It was the only plausible interruption I could come up with, the only one neither of you would argue against."

Katsuya blinked at the short boy and then grinned widely. A series of chuckles escaped from his mouth, turning into full, blown laughter as he smacked his hand against his forehead in disbelief. Finally, after forcing his laughter to subside, Katsuya flashed Mutou a brilliant smile before saying: "You know what, Mutou? I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship." He reached out and landed his hand on Mutou's shoulder and saw how the smaller boy seemed to bask in the non-violent contact. Their gazes met once more and Katsuya finished: "You're my hero, Mutou. You can count on me returning the favour ten-fold."

"That isn't necessary, Jounouchi-kun", Mutou insisted gently. "Just being friends is enough payback for me."

"You seem to completely misunderstand the meaning of friendship, Mutou", Katsuya spoke out, determined to get his point across to the shorter teen. "People are friends because they like each other, not because they owe one another something." Katsuya smiled gently at the star-haired boy. "And I think I could really like you, Mutou."

Mutou's previous embarrassed blush was then back as the teen muttered: "In that case there is no need to call me 'Mutou', Jounouchi-kun. I would prefer you called me Yugi."

"That can be arranged", Katsuya agreed instantly, nodding his head for emphasis. Yugi smiled at him then, looking a lot braver than he had five minutes ago, before replying: "Thank you, Jounouchi-kun."

"No no no", Katsuya spoke sternly as he allowed his arm to slip around Yugi's shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "Thank **you**, Yugi." After all, it was not every day that someone did something to help Katsuya without having known him for a long time. Perhaps, the blond thought, he could learn something from his new friend.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: There, PYPY has now started off. The purpose of this first chapter was to introduce most of the cast I will be using in this fanfic. There is also going to be an additional character joining in into the fun later on but I will let you guys speculate who that might be. I hope this story will be liked like the previous part and I will try to hold on to a somewhat humorous approach.


	2. First Act

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 2**

**First Act**

"I wonder what's up with Kaiba", Honda commented as Katsuya walked out of the school building with the brunet. Katsuya looked at his friend before questioning: "What are you talking about?"

"The guy looked like he had had a run-in with something really wile", Honda commented while scratching the side of his head. "He was glaring at everyone and anyone. It was almost like he was planning some mass murder."

"Oh", Katsuya uttered with a surprised blink. "I guess that could have been because I walked out on him."

"Was Kaiba giving you a hard time?" Honda questioned, looking instantly angry. "I swear I'm going to-"

"I wouldn't say that he was giving me a hard time", Katsuya said and effectively cut the brunet off. "He was just really persistent to talk about last summer. I don't really know what he wanted." Katsuya shrugged his shoulders. "I guessed that he wanted to make sure that I didn't go around telling everyone that he had gone out with a guy but he was still pestering me after I assured him that I would keep quiet."

"He wants to go out the real Shizuka", Honda gasped out in shock. "I will not allow it!" The brunet then struck a dramatic pose that was straight out of an American superhero cartoon. Katsuya merely sighed but did not comment. Personally Katsuya did not think that was what Seto wanted, but he did not really want to know what the blue-eyed teen was after. Katsuya did not want to get his hopes up only to have them crushed in the cruellest way imaginable. No, he would much rather stay far away from Seto, where the other teen could not hurt him.

"So, how did he escape the clutches of the evil Kaiba?" Honda then asked with a wicked smile spreading on his face. "You clearly didn't punch his teeth in, since that annoying face of his is still intact. Did you clobber him in the stomach or bruise a rib or two?"

Katsuya released a short, embarrassed laugh when he realized that he would have to disappoint his friend. He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture as he hurried to speak: "Nothing like that, Honda. I was actually called to the principal's office-" Before Katsuya could finish his tale Honda cut him off by shouting out: "What? You were actually able to get sent to the principal on your first day? What the heck did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Katsuya bellowed right back at Honda. "I was going to explain the whole thing to you before you interrupted!"

"Oh", Honda said and then grinned apologetically. "Sorry about that. Do finish."

Releasing an annoyed sigh Katsuya turned his face away from Honda and saw a familiar mane of tri-colored hair. Yugi was standing at the school gates talking to Anzu. That was when Katsuya remembered that Yugi and Anzu had been friends what seemed like forever. The girl would probably be ecstatic to find out that her new friend had befriended her old one.

"I wasn't really called to the principal's office", Katsuya started to explain as he also began walking towards the spot where Yugi and Anzu were. Honda instantly started to walk with him and Katsuya continued: "It was a scam to get me away from Kaiba. Really brilliant, actually. I had no idea what was going on before I was told."

"So, who was behind this master plan?" Honda questioned just as they were within an arm's reach of Yugi. Katsuya took an advantage of this and reached out to wrap an arm around Yugi's shoulders as he claimed loudly: "M new friend Yugi here thought it all up. Without him I wouldn't have been able to get away from Kaiba."

"Seriously?" Honda exclaimed as he stared at Yugi with wide eyes. "Why would he do that?"

"Yugi's just that kind of a person", Katsuya commented with a wide smile as he turned to the small boy he had pulled against his side. "Isn't that right, Yugi?"

"I…I just thought it would the nice to do", Yugi commented shyly. Anzu had stepped closer and was peeking at Yugi's face from the side. At Yugi's words she looked up at Katsuya and gave the blond boy a beaming smile as she cheered: "So you're friends with Yugi now? That's awesome!" She turned to look at Honda. "Me and Yugi were planning on going to the arcade. Would you two like to join us?"

"What do you say, Honda?" Katsuya asked from the brunet in question, all the while grinning widely. Honda looked slightly indecisive for the briefest of moments before shrugging and uttering: "Sure, why not?"

"Perfect!" Anzu exclaimed happily. "Then it's settled! Let's go, gang!" And with that the girl grabbed Yugi's arm and started pulling the small boy down the street, along with Katsuya who still had his arm around Yugi's smaller frame. Honda had an amused look on his face as he started to follow after the group.

"So, Yugi, what were you going to tell me about the new student?" Anzu questioned after she had released the two boys from her hold after they had walked a couple of blocks. Yugi glanced at the girl quickly before starting to speak: "I was planning on telling you that I had met Otomya-kun earlier this morning."

"You mean that guy with the rip-off of your hairdo?" Honda questioned from his place on Anzu's left side. Yugi was walking on the girl's right while Katsuya was on Yugi's other side. The star-haired boy nodded at Honda's question before continuing: "I ran into him in the school hallway. He seemed like he was lost; he was gripping a map of the school in his hand…"

_&&& Flashback &&&_

_Deciding that for once he wanted to go to school without being bullied, Yugi had appeared back at school a great deal before the first lesson. This way he would be able to get to the safety of his homeroom before any bullies caught him. At least, that had been his plan before he saw a teen he was sure he had never seen in their school before._

_It would have been difficult to not notice the new boy's haircut, especially since it looked so similar to his own. Yugi was not blind, so he knew very well that his hair attracted a lot of attention. Because of this he was certain that if the boy standing on the other side of the almost completely empty hallway was an older student then Yugi would remember seeing him earlier during the previous school year. But because Yugi was absolutely certain that up to that point he had been the only one with spiky multi-colored hair in the school up until that point, he made the conclusion that the boy was a new student._

_Making his way to the tan boy that was actually about a head taller than Yugi the small boy noticed that the other teen was holding a piece of paper in his hand. Yugi remembered that particular paper when he himself had started in Domino high school. It was a map of the school building, but it was so inaccurate that Yugi had actually been better off when he had taken a wild guess on the possible location of any classrooms._

"_Hi there", Yugi greeted the taller boy and gasped when the other teen looked him in the eye. The new student had startling deep red eyes that stole Yugi's breath away with a single glance. And that was before the boy smiled. When the thin and dark lips curled upwards Yugi felt his entire face heat up at the look on the taller boy's face._

"_Hello", the unknown boy spoke in a deep but gentle tone of voice. "Can I help you?"_

"_Ah!" Yugi exclaimed, finally regaining his sense of self at being spoke to. "A-actually, I was thinking if I could do anything to help you." At the surprised look that came on the taller boy's face Yugi hurried to continue: "You're new here, right? I was wondering if I could help you get to wherever it is that you need to go to." Yugi gave the other teen his most brilliant smile. "My name is Mutou Yugi."_

"_Otomya Yami", the new student replied in a friendly tone of voice. "I would actually really appreciate it if you could show me to the teachers' lounge." Otomya waved the map he had in his hand. "This map seems to be a bit difficult to read…"_

"_That's because it has been written in some dead language", Yugi commented as he grabbed the paper and rumpled it into a heap. "Trust me. You're better off without trying to decipher this thing. It's impossible." With that Yugi threw the crumpled piece of paper into a nearby trash bin. Then he turned to Otomya and smiled again. "Come on then. I'll show you to the lounge."_

"_Thank you", Otomya spoke as he stepped right next to Yugi, close enough for it to be considered an invasion of personal space. "Lead the way then, Mutou-kun."_

"_Y-you bet", Yugi managed to stutter with his cheeks flaming before starting to walk down the corridor and trying to keep his mind coherent enough to take the other teen to the right place._

&&& End of the flashback &&&

"After I took him to the teachers' lounge he thanked me again and disappeared inside", Yugi finished and his cheeks were a soft red. To Katsuya it was rather apparent that the blush was caused by the memory of Otomya. It was painfully obvious that Yugi had a crush on the new student. And the blond was determined to let his new friend know that he was willing to do whatever it took to help the small boy to gain Otomya's attention.

"Love at first sight, then?" Katsuya questioned as he leaned down slightly to speak the rather quiet words to Yugi. The effect was instant when Yugi visibly jumped and blushed an even deeper red before exclaiming: ""Where did you get that idea? I don't even know him all that well!"

"Okay, so then you are merely attracted to him", Katsuya conceded with a shrug as he straightened himself. "What we really need to know more than that is if you're going to do something about it."

"Oh, Yugi has a crush on Otomya-kun?" Anzu questioned in an exited manner. "That is so romantic!"

"I find it frustrating", Honda, always the pessimist, commented. "I mean, now Yugi's going to have countless sleepless nights as he yearns for the guy's closeness and fills his own head with horror images of a possible rejection and how he will never be noticed."

"But it's all true", Yugi argued weakly. "I really don't have a chance with Otomya-kun. He's so much more…cool than I…"

"So what?" Katsuya questioned in his typical nonchalant manner. "We'll just have to make him see how cool you can be." Katsuya winked at the small boy when he looked like he was about to protest. "Anyone can be cool, Yugi. We simply need to find the kind of cool that suits you best." Katsuya placed his hand on his hip in a confident gesture. "And even more than that, we will have to make sure that he knows who you are. Then he will be more likely to approach you. We need to find out if he will be joining any clubs and then you will have to join them too to spend more time with him."

"But what if he joins a sports club?" Yugi whined. "I wouldn't even last a single session!"

"Then you will have to find another way to participate", Katsuya insisted. "The point is that you show interest in what he does. That will decrease the distance between you two, making your interaction a lot more natural."

"Man, Jou-kun. I never knew you were this good with dating", Anzu commented in a slightly impressed manner. The words were followed by Honda, who said: "I know for certain that you did not know these things before. Otherwise you would not have been hopeless with girls."

"I learned it all last summer", Katsuya said with a proud smile. "It's really amazing what you can pick up in a girls' dressing room."

"What were you doing in a girls' dressing room Jou-kun?" Yugi questioned with a soft red tinge on his cheeks. Katsuya also blushed at what his confession sounded like and explained in a grumble: "I was posing as my younger sister for her dance lessons last summer. There were a lot of girls there who talked over three times the amount of time that it took them to hang their jackets and change their shoes."

"I see", Yugi muttered in a thoughtful manner and Katsuya guessed that the small boy as wondering how in the world Katsuya had managed to pull off the feat of looking like a girl. Katsuya was, after all, one of the guys in their school who would not be caught dead doing something that could be considered even the slightest bit un-masculine.

"I'm still not sure if I'm able to go through with this", Yugi spoke out finally. Even though Yugi was resisting, fortunately Katsuya's words had been able to convince someone else about the matter. It was Anzu, who clapped her hands together excitedly and cheered: "Don't worry, Yugi! We are going to take care of everything short from actually wooing Otomya-kun. All you will have to do is be your charming self after we have handed Otomya-kun to you on a silver platter."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Yugi questioned, clearly growing curious despite his protests. Anzu grinned widely as she started to speak: "We'll go with Jou-kun's plan. We'll find out what he likes, and I have the perfect method to do just that." Anzu lifted one of her fists in a very cartoon-show-like manner. "I'm going to tap into the gossip that is sure to be going around Otomya-kun, him being new here and all."

"We can check if he's sport maniac or not in gym class", Honda piped in and Katsuya almost snickered at how the tough teen was getting as exited about this as Anzu. "He doesn't look like his into soccer or baseball but he might be a swimmer."

"Yeah", Anzu agreed and nodded her head furiously. "Swimming is something even Yugi can try, as long as he works on his stamina."

"I didn't say I would agree yet!" Yugi whined in a desperate attempt to argue. Katsuya knew this would be last act of resistance and shot back playfully: "You don't need to say anything. As your friends, we can see what you're thinking."

"That's true!" Anzu squealed in delight. "Friendship is the strongest force in the world!"

With that Katsuya was certain that he had Anzu's full support in everything he might come up with.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: There are going to be a few more chapters before the play, but they are going to be entertaining.


	3. Planning

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 3**

**Planning**

The next day Anzu, Yugi, Honda and Katsuya were all sitting at the same table at lunch. Katsuya had managed to coerce Yugi into trading buns with him, since the blond really disliked tomato. Currently he was devouring a salmon-filled bun with gusto, while Yugi munched on his vegetable option. The only reason Katsuya had not tried to trade buns with Honda was that brunet had obtained a broccoli-flavoured one. Anzu had not bothered with the cafeteria's 'surprise buns' and had merely taken a salad, something none of the boys were able to comprehend.

"How about we all go to my place after school?" Yugi suggested when he was finished with this bun and Katsuya nodded his head mutely, since his mouth was full. Honda looked sceptical at that and then spoke out: "How come you're free to stay out for two days straight? Didn't your father ground you after what happened last summer?"

"Yeah, he did", Katsuya replied as soon as he had managed to swallow the rest of his bun in one giant gulp. He took a swig of milk to wash the bread down before continuing: "I was grounded for the rest of the summer break but after school started my father decided to be more lenient. He settled with burning my brunette wig." Katsuya paused at that when he remembered the odd memory. "He was laughing really creepy-like when he did it too."

"I bet", Honda commented briefly. He gave Katsuya a playful smile as he added: "No offence or anything, but your father's a real creep sometimes."

"No worries", Katsuya said in a forgiving manner as he waved his hand dismissively. "So is your sister."

Judging from the look on Honda's face, the brunet was about to launch an angry retort. It never made out, however, when the brown eyes widened in shock a moment before a bright bouquet of flowers appeared right in front of Katsuya's face.

Blinking once in utter shock Katsuya was reluctant to lift his gaze to the person offering him the flowers. Still, the blond gathered his courage and looked up, right into the very familiar blue eyes of Seto.

'Damn it, Seto…' Katsuya thought with a groan as he ran a hand through his hair. He sighed and gave Seto a defeated look as he questioned with forced tolerance: "What can I do for you, Kaiba?"

"Well, a date would be a nice start", Seto commented before placing the bouquet on Katsuya's lap. The blond had made it apparent that he was not going to take the offering with his hands. Katsuya glanced down at the flowers with distaste that must have been evident on his face, since the blond heard Seto sigh before the brunet started to speak: "What did I do wrong this time? Are the flowers wrong?"

"It's not the flowers, Kaiba", Katsuya snapped as he grabbed the bouquet and placed it on the table, beside his tray. The blond did not even glance into his friends' general direction. He did not want to see their reactions since that would only make this situation even harder for him than it already was.

"What's wrong then?" Seto pressed on as he crossed his arms. It was just like the brunet to try and find out if anything was wrong with his performance. The freaky perfectionist did not want ever to be less than perfect. Katsuya was contemplating any less than complimentary answers he could give the brunet but his thoughts were stopped when Seto continued: "Would you have preferred chocolates? Or should I have brought both?"

"Damn it, Kaiba", Katsuya snapped nastily. "What lame romance movies have you been using for reference? I simply do not wish to go out with you, Kaiba, can't you understand that?"

"No, I can't", Seto shot back just as venomously. "I'm the hottest guy in school, I know the talk. Why would you refuse me?"

"Well, the fact if you are the hottest guy or not is entirely a matter of opinion", Katsuya snarled as he smirked in what he hoped to be a confident manner. "For example, my pal Yugi here thinks that new guy Otomya is a lot hotter than you are."

Seto's blue eyes flickered to Yugi for a moment as the short boy released a yelp of indignation. Katsuya thought for a moment that he saw a calculative look pass across Seto's face but it was gone too quickly for Katsuya to be absolutely certain. Then the corner of Seto's lips curled upwards slightly and Katsuya simply knew that the brunet was up to something. Still, the standing teen gave no clue to his forming master plan as he continued to speak to only Katsuya: "I can not understand your reasoning if you don't explain it to me, Katsuya." Suddenly Seto seemed to be way too close for comfort in Katsuya's opinion. "Why won't you explain?"

"J-Just leave me alone…" Katsuya managed to utter in a weak tone that was pathetic even in his own opinion. He lowered his eyes from the intense gaze Seto was giving him and whispered in a soft voice that he did not think his friends were close enough to hear: "Please, Seto."

There was the most fleeting of touches to Katsuya's cheek a moment before Seto stepped away and promised in a tone of voice that was clearly a promise in itself: "I will be back, Katsuya." And with that the brunet walked off.

Katsuya released a deep breath as his tensed up body relaxed. Damn that Seto and the way he had such a strong effect on Katsuya… The blond's eyes widened suddenly when he realized that he had just called Seto by his given name **to his face**. No wonder the brunet had been so willing to back off; he was sure that he had made progress.

"Damn that Kaiba…" Katsuya grumbled out loud when he turned back to his friends. All of them had unreadable expressions, except for Yugi, who was still blushing furiously because of Katsuya's confession to Seto.

"I find it hard to believe that he is merely joking about this, Jou", were the first words spoken by the group. And most surprisingly, they had come from Honda, who had always been distrustful about Seto before. The brown-eyed brunet was frowning thoughtfully as he continued: "He was very public about his intentions to court you just now. That might be his way of scaring any possible competition off." The serious gaze met Katsuya's own troubled one. "Jou, I really think that Kaiba might be interested in you."

"I hate to say this, but I agree", Anzu put in softly. "Kaiba-kun has many methods of humiliating someone, so he would not use a tactic that would bruise his own appearance so severely."

"It's simple logic", Yugi piped in finally and Katsuya felt suddenly very stupid and very slow. He glanced to the beautiful bouquet that Seto had given him only moments before. No, he could not give in so easily. He was not a girl like he had pretended to be last summer. He was a boy, and a proud one at that. Katsuya would never crawl back to Seto like some kicked puppy after so clearly rejecting the brunet's advances. Katsuya could not offer to give in to Seto too easily, because it would be for a second time already. Katsuya had survived from having his heart broken once; the second time around he might not be so lucky.

"How about this?" Katsuya spoke out loud to keep his friends satisfied. "I'll go easier on the guy and see what he wants. He might be sincere, but he might also simply be a very good actor." In his mind Katsuya knew that he would not willingly let Seto close to him again. Katsuya did not want the brunet in a position where he could easily harm Katsuya. The blond's friends did not understand his situation but he was not about to explain it to them either. This pain of his was personal and no business of other people.

"Ah", Yugi started and Katsuya immediately turned his attention to the shortest member of their group. The blond was hoping for a change in topic, and he got it when the star-haired boy continued: "So it's settled then? We'll be going to my place after school?" There were some sounds of agreement from everyone else and Yugi smiled brightly before adding: "My grandpa got me this really awesome new game yesterday, but it's a multi-player one so I can't play it on my own. All games are better when played in a large group."

"Definitely", Katsuya agreed wholeheartedly as he grinned warmly at Yugi. It was really a really nice feeling to belong into a larger group, Katsuya thought before he returned to eating his lunch. Perhaps that had been the reason he had joined that gang all those years ago. The blond teen decided that he was a lot better now, even if his new group was not considered as one of the coolest around. After finishing lunch the foursome stood up simultaneously before leaving to their next class, which was gym.

Pausing briefly after standing up Katsuya contemplated his options. Finally the blond reached to the table and took the bouquet of flowers with him.

&&&&&&&

Otomya Yami was seated in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, not knowing anything about the drama that had went on at the table where he saw Mutou Yugi sit with his friends. Yami usually was not the kind of person who was overly interested in other people's business. Truthfully he usually could not care less. But this spectacle had caught his interest. Probably because one of the people involved was the only person Yami knew even slightly in the new school.

Yugi had been really kind to him on the previous day and Yami was wondering if there was something he could do for the other teen to pay back that kindness. Yami did not have much experience with dealing with people on a personal level. But no one had approached Yami like Yugi had either. Perhaps if Yami could become a friend to Yugi, he could start a new life here in Domino. He could make friends like any other boy his age without his past as a trouble student making things more difficult for him.

Making up his mind Yami decided that he would try to get to know Yugi better and maybe become his friend. But he would need a plan. He wanted to seem natural as he offered his hand of friendship to Yugi, but he felt too awkward in situations where he was not in full control to manage that. The situation would have to be Yami's favour in order for the crimson-eyed teen to be able to go through with his intensions.

"Hello", a male voice spoke out suddenly. "You're Otomya, correct?"

Yami blinked once in surprise before turning his head to see a brown-haired boy standing next to him. Yami recognized the brunet as the same person who had taken a bouquet of flowers into Yugi and his friends' table.

"Yeah", Yami replied slowly and nodded his head. He was feeling rather suspicious of the brunet, there simply seemed to be something off about him. That feeling made it hard for Yami to decide it was really a negative one or not. Instead he decided to make a query about the teen's intentions: "Is there are reason you are making my acquaintance?"

"It depends", the brunet answered evasively. "My name is Kaiba Seto."

"What does it depend on?" Yami asked immediately after the brunet was finished speaking, ignoring the introduction completely. Kaiba's eyebrows lowered at the rude action but the brunet said nothing about the matter as he answered the question: "What do you think of Mutou Yugi?"

"What?" Yami questioned with a surprised blink. Where was all of this coming from?

Kaiba's tone stayed completely emotionless and calm as he explained himself: "If you're attracted to him, then we could perhaps help each other."

"What could you possibly gain from any attraction I might feel towards Mutou-kun?" Yami questioned with a suspicious frown. What was Kaiba going on about?

"A date with Yugi's friend", Kaiba replied shortly and Yami blinked at the brunet in confusion. Releasing a sigh the taller teen continued: "I want a date with Yugi's friend, his name is Jounouchi. I figured that if I could convince you to approach Yugi then he might warm up to me slightly, which is all I need to get a date with him."

Staring at the brunet with wide eyes it took Yami a moment to realize that Kaiba had meant every word he had just spoken. It was with realization evident in his tone that he muttered: "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes", came Kaiba's short reply before the brunet turned demanding again. "Now tell me how you feel about Mutou."

"Well, he is really nice", Yami started lamely and felt his neck heat up at the disbelieving look Kaiba gave him. "He…at least he seem nice, from what I have gathered. I would like to get to know him, but I can't say that I'm attracted to him. I don't even know him all that well."

"Hm", Kaiba hummed thoughtfully before nodding his head curtly. "I suppose that's better than nothing."

Observing the brunet for a while Yami contemplated his next course of action. He was now aware of the stakes in play and he had also realized what it was about Kaiba that brushed him wrong; Kaiba was smart and extremely confident because of that. The impression Yami had gotten from Kaiba was one of pride. The brunet was a lot like Yami, the star-haired boy guessed. Perhaps they really could help each other.

Having made up his mind Yami looked at Kaiba with his own version of a poker face and spoke out: "Help me get to know him."

That sentence brought the first real reaction out of Kaiba. The brunet's eyes widened briefly before Kaiba blinked in surprise and composed himself again to throw back a rather miffed: "What?"

"You have something to gain from it too, so it's only natural that you would help me", Yami pointed out calmly, hoping that he had not angered the brunet. He would need the help of someone who already had a connection to the group. It seemed that luck was on Yami's side, however, as the brunet grit his teeth momentarily before grunting out: "Alright then."

_**To be continued…**_


	4. Thundering Heartbeats

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 4**

**Thundering Heartbeats**

To Yugi's everlasting horror they were playing basketball in gym that day. It was not that Yugi had anything against the game itself, but it was not fun to play when you were the shortest boy in class. Because of that no one wanted Yugi in their team because the petite boy could not run as fast as others with his short legs, not to mention Yugi was easily tackled. There were even some kids who tackled Yugi even when the boy did not have the ball. Yugi was actually very good at shooting hoops but he did not get many chances to try and do so with there being a boy of a taller student on top of him almost all the time.

Still, even though he hated playing the game at school, Yugi still picked a locker and started changing clothes with the rest of the class. Yugi never skipped class, not even when the subject was very close to something Yugi might call tedious.

"Hey, what's with the grim face, Yugi?" Jou's voice asked suddenly and Yugi lifted his head to see his new friend opening the locker on the right from his own. The short boy smiled at the small gesture of support as he shook his head and spoke: "It's nothing, Jou-kun."

"No worries, Yugi", Jou spoke as he crouched down slightly to be closer to eye-level with the shorter teen. "I'll keep a watch over you. I won't let anyone bully you in gym class anymore." The blond boy winked at that before throwing his bag into the closet and shrugging off his school jacket.

Yugi started unbuttoning his jacket while Jou leaned inside his locker to hang his own jacket, so neither of them noticed another presence until the person spoke from Jou's right side: "Hello there, Katsuya."

There was a loud yelp from Jou that echoed inside the metal locker and the blond immediately reappeared and turned his head to the new arrival.

"Get lost, Kaiba!" Jou snapped at the tall teen that had taken the locker beside the blond's own. "Stop stalking me!"

"I find that rather hard to do", Kaiba commented calmly to the first comment and Yugi thought he recognized a smug undertone to his voice. "I have this class too and I don't want any marks on my record on the second day."

"Well you didn't have to pick the locker that's right next to mine, you bastard", Jou huffed in an extremely unfriendly manner. It was not a tone that Yugi recalled the blond to having used with any member of their small group, not even when he was angry with them.

Growing curious about what was going to happen next Yugi leaned past Jou's tall frame to look at Kaiba, who was calmly taking off his school jacket. Jou's body was tense next to him and Yugi wondered why exactly the blond was so hostile towards Kaiba. Had the blond not told them only about ten minutes ago that he would give the brunet a chance?

"By the way, Katsuya", Seto continued like Jou had not only been raging to him. "What did you do with those flowers I gave you?"

"None of your business!" Jou snapped and Yugi glanced up to see the blond's cheeks redden ever so slightly. Yugi knew very well that the bouquet was currently safe in Jou's school locker, with a couple of books. The blond had been very persistent that he, Yugi and Honda stopped there so that he could drop the flowers off.

"You took them along when you left the cafeteria", Kaiba commented and Jou turned away from the brunet and started bulling his t-shirt over his head as he grumbled: "I threw it in the nearest trashcan." That said the blond threw the white shirt into the locker in front of him with flourish.

Suddenly there was a loud bang that probably attracted the attention of a few other students. Yugi almost jumped right out of his skin at the unexpected sound and his eyes widened when he noticed that it had been caused by Kaiba slamming a fist into the door of Jou's locker. Yugi was actually surprised that the metal had not dented out of the force that had been behind the strike.

"Damn it, Katsuya", the brunet growled and his face had become a mask of barely concealed rage. "Don't lie to me. You treated those flowers with care, I saw it. You wouldn't throw them away."

"Yeah, I took them along", Jou responded very faintly as he turned his head away from Kaiba's intense glare. "I just…those flowers were for me. If I left them lying somewhere those damned fan girls of yours would have a field day with them." Yugi kept his eyes on Jou, not wanting to look at the scary brunet anymore and saw Jou snarl before spitting out: "Even keeping them is better than letting those nags have them."

"You're still so jealous", Kaiba said then, his tone suddenly very fond. Then the brunet glanced away from the suddenly blushing Jou and glared heatedly at the students staring at them with their mouths hanging open is shock. Yugi actually had the foresight the cover his ears as the brunet began to rage: "What are you people staring at? Get lost!"

It seemed that Kaiba would always have his authority, despite how mushy he might momentarily appear. The undeniable proof of this was the way all the student, already in their gym uniforms, quickly shuffled out of the room without looking back once. Then the piercing blue gaze was fixed on Yugi. "Shouldn't you be getting dressed, Yugi-kun?"

It was not all that odd for Kaiba to call Yugi by his first name, since almost everyone seemed to do that for unknown reasons. All of the teachers, and even the principal called Yugi by his first name. The small boy guessed that he was probably just easy to approach.

Not saying a word Yugi immediately turned away from the two other boys and made a show of continuing with his undressing. He was still listening very closely to what might happen next but there was only silent, followed by the sound of shuffling as both Kaiba and Jou also continued to change. Yugi figured that Kaiba must have become rather conscious about the place they were in when he had yelled at all the other boys and had clearly decided that personal business should stay as just that, between him and Jou.

Yugi could not help but feel sorry for Jou.

It was after a short while that the three of them made their way to the school gym, where everyone else had gathered. They were very lucky that their gym teacher was not present yet, because they would have received a rather unpleasant lecture if the teacher had caught them as being slow.

Coach Murasaki was not one of the most liked teachers in Domino high, but he was not the least liked one either, so that balanced things out a bit. Murasaki was a bit of an elitist, praising those students who were at the top of the class and punishing as those who were dead last. This was the reason that no one really wanted to be the last one to leave the dressing rooms. The competition was really rough and Yugi had received more scoldings than he could count from the strict teacher.

That was when the teacher marched into the room, just like he had done every day during the last year. Still, Yugi could not help but notice that even though he still had a clear strength about him, Murasaki was walking slower than what Yugi remembered. Of course the small boy's memory might be exaggerating after the summer break away from the teacher. After all, Yugi had remembered the man to be way taller than he actually was.

"Alright, class!" Murasaki bellowed loudly and clearly. He was tossing a basketball up and down in his hand. "Let's pick teams shall we?" The man pointed at the line, at a single student, in a manner that Yugi might have considered overdramatic, and declared: "You, new boy! You will be the first captain!"

Yugi looked to the side to see no other than Otomya walk over to the student with a rather embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Yugi wondered how the star-haired teen was going to pick a team when he did not know anyone's name yet.

"And the second captain will be Kaiba!" Murasaki continued and the brunet in question made his way to the other side of the teacher in a confident stride. It was more than apparent that the brunet was fully confident in being able to choose a team more suited for competition, especially judging from the way Kaiba smiled in an overly friendly fashion at Otomya and spoke: "How about you go first, Otomya?"

Yugi watched Otomya press his mouth into a thin line before the star-haired teen turned to the other students and looked directly at Yugi. Yugi's eyes widened in shock a moment before Otomya spoke out in a clear voice: "My first pick will be Mutou-kun."

There was a stunned silence all around, most likely caused by the unexpectedness of the boy's choise. Yugi had never been picked first before. Yugi had always been picked last, even when they were playing with girls Yugi was picked only right before the most book-wormish girls. And now he had been the first one to be picked.

As Yugi made his way to stand by Otomya, all the while smiling widely, he tried to convince himself not to read too much into this. It was more than likely that he was the only person whose name Otomya knew and he was trying not to embarrass himself by picking a student who he would not have to call 'you there'. Despite all his reasoning Yugi did not stop smiling when he stopped next to the slightly taller boy and turned to the rest of the class.

Glancing briefly to Kaiba, Yugi saw the brunet smirk in an amused manner before speaking out: "Fine. My first pick will be Jounouchi-kun."

Yugi noticed that Kaiba had not used Jou's first name in front of a teacher but as he glanced at the blond in question, he still saw Jou blushing heavily as he made his way to Kaiba. The reaction was probably caused by the adding of 'kun' to his name, something Kaiba had not done with anyone but Yugi. But Yugi was special that way so that did not count.

Yugi's attention went back to Otomya as he spoke another student's name, the boy in question his way to Otomya and Yugi. After Kaiba had called his second name Otomya asked a yet another student by his name.

After this procedure had repeated itself a few times Yugi finally realized that Otomya probably knew the names of all students in his class.

Suddenly, Yugi's smile was back and this time around he did nothing to stop it.

&&&&&&&

After school the group was making its way towards Yugi's home. Jou had asked Anzu to carry the bouquet from Kaiba, saying that it would not do for him to be caught walking around with flowers. The girl had not argued and had been looking at the flowers dreamily, making comments about how she had had not idea that Kaiba could be so romantic, and how it was a pity that the brunet was not her type. Those words had been followed by the statement that there must have been something seriously wrong with Jou's mind for the blond to reject Kaiba when the brunet was showing signs of being the perfect boyfriend.

"I'm not some girl", Jou had defended himself when Anzu had brought up the subject of the blond's rejection. "Kaiba is not going to win me over by treating me like a girl. He needs to accept the fact that I am male before I am going to even be polite to him."

Honda had agreed with Jou wholeheartedly at that, saying that Jou should not be patronized by his boyfriend like that. That comment had earned him a rather impressing punch from Anzu, followed by the girl's screams of how girls were not in any way inferior to boys. The argument had been cut short when Jou had stated, in a surprisingly calm manner, that there simply were some things that were alright with one gender that were not alright with the other. These words had lead to a debate about whether it was right that girls could do guy things but guys could not do girl things or not.

The deep conversation, consisting of various bad jokes dealing with cross-dressing and gender-confusion, came to a very expected halt in Yugi's opinion when the four teens arrived at the back entrance of the Kame Game Shop. Yugi proudly dug out his keys and shoved them into the lock, opening the door into a room that served both as a kitchen and a dining room. Because the room was not overly large, the dining table was large enough to fit only two people on both if its sides if there was no one sitting at the ends of the table.

"The downstairs is rather cramped but it's a lot more roomy upstairs", Yugi told his friends as he led the way through the kitchen and into a narrow hall. Anzu had, of course, been at Yugi's house before but the boy had not been friends with Jou or Honda long enough for either of them to have ever been to his home.

"That door on the right is a bathroom and the next one leads to the living room", Yugi continued to explain as they walked across the hallway. They came to a staircase that lead upstairs, the stair positioned opposite a doorway with no door on it. Honda and Jou glanced there curiously and Yugi spoke out: "That's the entrance to the game shop. My grandfather manages it."

"This place is really nice, Yugi", Jou commented as he turned to the boy in question and offered him a warm smile. "What kinds of games does the shop sell?"

"Classical games mostly", Yugi replied instantly. "We don't sell videogames or anything like that. We have a lot of board games, chess and the like. There are also puzzles and various card sets. I think there are even some trading cards."

"Yeah, I heard those were pretty popular in primary school", Jou replied. "You said we were going to play a new game that you have? Is it a board as well?"

"Yes", Yugi answered with a nod. "It's a role playing game, actually. They are also really popular, but among people our age."

"A role playing game?" Honda questioned curiously. "What's that?"

"What?" Yugi questioned with a startled blink. "Haven't you guys played before?" When both Honda and Jou shook their heads Yugi instantly launched into an explanation: "It's a game where you play a certain character with specific battle specialities. You form a part with your friends and the point is to gain levels and treasures by performing different tasks. One of the players will be performing as the master of the game who controls the events of the game."

"How does the master do that exactly?" Jou asked and Yugi continued to speak as he started to lead the group upstairs: "There are certain events that will take place when the right terms are met. These terms are the results everyone gets by throwing dice and the events are read from a rulebook."

"Sounds really complicated", Jou commented and Honda nodded his head in agreement. "I'm not sure if we can play it."

"Don't worry", Yugi said right as he made his way to the second floor. "Anzu has played a couple of times when I got my first role playing game. She can be the game master and I will play with you guys and show you what you're supposed to do. This is my room." With that Yugi opened the room on his left and immediately groaned. He had completely forgotten that he had not cleaned in a while. There were socks lying around along with an incompletely puzzle.

When Yugi turned to his friends he was blushing with embarrassment. However, Jou and Honda paid no mind to the mess as they walked into the room and commented what a cool room it was. Honda actually said that it was a lot cleaner than his room. It was Anzu who spoke softly, as if trying to keep the other two boys from hearing her words: "Honestly, what's with you boys? You seem to be completely unable to keep your rooms clean." And at that the brunette walked into the centre of the room with her hands on her hips and spoke out: "Okay guys, let's make some room so that we can play here. Yugi will go get the game while we get the floor cleared out."

There were groans from Jou and Honda as they said that the floor was tidy enough already and Yugi immediately made his way out of the room before Anzu went into rant-mode and started to work on putting the two boys in their places. Seriously, the girl was so sweet normally but if you disagreed with her you were in for a verbal beating that was nothing like you had ever witnessed before.

By the time Yugi came back the floor was clean for the first time in two weeks and Anzu was asking Honda and Jou how the gym class had been. Yugi walked into the room and sat down into the circle the trio had formed as Jou started to speak: "We had basketball and it was a lot of fun. Out team totally wrecked Otomya's and he did not seem too happy about that."

"I don't think anyone would be happy about losing", Yugi piped in and Jou seemed to finally notice his presence. "But you weren't like that, Yugi. He was all 'I want a rematch' and 'I'll beat you yet, Kaiba'. I've never seen anyone with a competitive streak as strong as his, not counting Kaiba that is."

"So you played in Kaiba-kun's team?" Anzu asked, immediately growing curious and leaning closer to the blond. Jou paused for a moment before continuing to speak, slowly this time, like he was considering his words carefully for once: "Yeah, I was the first one he picked. And Otomya picked Yugi first." With that Jou turned to grin at Yugi and the small boy instantly recognized the plot that was at hand.

"Ohh, really?" Anzu questioned with her eyes wide. Yugi groaned internally, not appreciating the change in subject at all. He nodded his head curtly and flinched at the delighted squeal Anzu released.

"Then he likes you! He actually likes you!" the girl cheered, followed by Jou's playful comment: "Like there was any doubt about it."

"Guys?" Yugi tried desperately and gained the attention of his three friends again. "We came here to play a game, not discuss my love life, or lack thereof."

"Oh, you certainly have a love life now", Jou shot back. Yugi's face flushed hotly and the small boy slammed the cardboard box on the floor in the middle of the group and exclaimed in embarrassment: "Let's just play the game, alright?"

There were sounds of agreement and Yugi opened the box before starting to put up the game for them. The first were spoken when he was almost done by Anzu, who invited them all to her house the following day, saying that she had something that she wanted to show them. That plan faced its downfall when both Yugi and Honda said that they had other plans, after which Yugi suggested they met at Thursday. Unfortunately the boy had forgotten that Anzu had her dance class on Thursdays and Sundays. The situation was not hopeless, however, since they all had an open schedule on Friday and they all agreed that they would go to Anzu's house after their weekend had started.

_**To be continued…**_


	5. A Moment's Rest

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 5**

**A Moment's Rest**

It was the first Wednesday morning of the new school year and Seto was surprised to find himself spending it by walking to school. As in **on foot**. Transportation from one location to another by walking was a very rare thing to all members of the Kaiba household but Seto was engaging in the odd activity because of his new 'friend'. Yami had insisted that friends walk together to school and Seto had felt compelled to at least give it a try. It was not like he was afraid of a small walk.

Still, it was Seto's first time so the brunet had taken the liberty to have his driver drop him off where he was supposed to meet Yami. The star-haired teen had already been waiting for him and had instantly commented how driving even a part of the journey took the whole point out of the ancient tradition of school trips. To that Seto had simply said some very unflattering things about Yami and some unnamed body parts before he had quite calmly informer his companion that he lived on the other side of town and if he travelled to school on foot, it would take him so long to make the trip that he would have to get up even earlier than his father. That was in the middle of the night.

It was clear that Yami had been holding himself back from punching Seto when he had muttered that the brunet could have told him that sooner, and also that the brunet had used such cuss words that he did not think even the worst possible punks in his former school could have kept themselves from blushing.

"How are things going on the battle field?" Yami asked when the duo had finally started walking. Seto snorted at the nick name Yami had given to his pursuit of Katsuya's acceptance but the shorter teen instantly took the reaction the wrong way and spoke: "That bad then? So, you have a plan?"

"Actually I was simply thinking what a moron you are", Seto growled at his companion, hoping that the star-haired boy would just walk in silence and not probe his business. "I think Katsuya is warming up to me. He called me 'Seto' just yesterday and he was jealous about my fan girls."

"I'm not a moron", Yami shot back, which was a rather pathetic comeback. Seto simply smirked at the other teen before turning his gaze back to the street ahead of them.

The silence did not last for long, however. It was broken by Yami asking a yet another question: "Do you have a plan to make further progress then?"

Seriously, what was wrong with people? Why did they have to talk all the time? Especially Yami seemed to have real problems with staying silent.

"I'm thinking about trying to catch him alone", Seto admitted, seeing really no harm in it. "He freaks out so easily that he becomes two times more defensive when there are other people around."

"And what are you going to do when you have him cornered?" Yami questioned and Seto shot him a brief smirk before replying: "I'm going to keep pushing, of course. I have already started to break through so I'll probably need only one or two more confrontations to have him."

"Rather confident, aren't you?" Yami commented then but Seto merely huffed. What did the little midget know about things like this? Nothing, that's what. Seto knew he was going to win, he was so certain of it that he could almost feel Katsuya's skin on the tips of his fingers.

&&&&&&&

"I'm not sure what I should do about Kaiba", Katsuya sighed as he walked to school with his friends. Honda did not comment to the topic of conversation but the other two members of the group bit right onto it.

"Go out with him", Anzu said in a manner that indicated that it was the only logical solution in her books. Fortunately Katsuya was spared the trouble of getting into an argument with the girl when Yugi started to speak: "I don't know. Kaiba-kun is being very persistent. He was really scary in the locker rooms yesterday."

"You said it", Honda finally joined in on the conversation. "I saw that locker after class, the one he punched. The thing was actually dented!" The last bit was spoken in an exaggerated yell, accompanied by Honda waving his arms dramatically. "I never knew that guy could be so strong. Jou could be in serious trouble if left alone with him."

"Why do you say that?" Yugi asked as he frowned at the tall brunet. "If Kaiba-kun wants to go out with Jou, he definitely wouldn't hit him. What kind of trouble could Jou end up in?"

Seeing quite clearly where the conversation was going, and not feeling comfortable with it, Katsuya cut in a bit louder than what was necessary: "It seems like the only way to make him back off is to go on a date with him but somehow I think that giving in even the slightest is going to make him even more difficult to deal with."

"Or then he might simply be satisfied", Anzu pointed out. Katsuya did not agree with the girl in the slightest and decided to speak his mind: "No. I'm not going to be giving him anything until he treats me properly. If he tries to use intimation tactics with me again, I'm not going to have any qualms about punching him."

"Isn't that a bit too extreme of a solution?" Anzu asked as she ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, Kaiba-kun only wants to go out with you. That's no reason to beat the living daylights out of him."

"I'm not saying that I will beat him up", Katsuya insisted, feeling slightly insulted. "What do you take me for?" The blond huffed. "I'm simply saying that I will hit him. It's not much different from when you punch a guy who's peeking at your panties. I'm also trying to protect my privacy."

"How does Kaiba asking you on a date affect your privacy?" Honda asked then and Katsuya shot the brunet an angry glare before growling: "I can't even breathe in peace without that guy invading my personal space."

"But Jou-kun", Anzu pressed on. "When it's about you, one punch doesn't settle the deal."

An angry flush came over Katsuya's face then and the blond snapped at the girl: "I don't beat people up! And even if I do, it's only when the guy receiving the beating really deserves it." Katsuya shoved his hands into his pockets. "And before you make any comments about me having a violent nature: all those times I've fought with people were in self defence and all those rumours you might have heard about me were most-likely exaggerated."

"So you haven't beaten four guys in a fight at once?" Yugi asked then, clearly interested in this new course their conversation had taken. Katsuya turned his attention to his shortest friend and flushed slightly before admitting: "That did actually happen once…or twice…or…"

"That was a rather usual occurrence during ninth grade", Honda offered helpfully. "Jou is a skilled fighter, that is true, but neither of us really participated in any of the actually bad stuff." The brunet shrugged his shoulders as he continued: "I'm not quite sure why, but I think they knew that me and Jou weren't really trustworthy." Honda released a short laugh. "It was a good thing for us, since it made leaving the gang a lot easier."

"Well, the gang consisted of just a bunch of kids who were trying to seem tough in a difficult environment. Of course we didn't do any real bad stuff. Shoplifting was probably the most horrible act that anyone committed", Katsuya explained and noticed that both Anzu and Yugi were listening to him intently. Those awed looks of wonder made Katsuya realize just how different him and Honda were from their two new friends. Anzu and Yugi had grown up in what he and Honda could call a sheltered environment and what had once been normal life to the two tall boys was something foreign and unknown to the other two.

"It was still no picnic", Katsuya continued on, knowing very well that Honda did not like their former lifestyle being talked about so lightly. And Katsuya did not want to do that either. It had been a hard life, one that neither of the two would ever forget. Still, the two had been lucky and they knew it. There would have been many worse crowds that the two could have ended up hanging with. Still, Katsuya could not help but wonder if he could have avoided what happened with Keith Howard if he had grown up to be tougher and colder. Perhaps he would not have frozen in terror and allowed Keith to almost have his way with him. Maybe he would not be so scared to have people behind him or being backed into a wall.

"There were a lot of fights between the different gangs in the blocks. There were some pretty large kids in the gangs as well, and even guys that no one would call kids in their right mind", Katsuya explained. "Being part of a gang was a way of surviving or belonging, but to some kids it was all about feeling strong. The fights could get really bad from time to time but I never heard of anyone dying. There were some pretty nasty injuries, though."

"Did you or Honda ever get injured?" Yugi questioned in a worried manner and Katsuya bit back his natural, rather thoughtless reply. Instead he spoke rather evasively: "Everyone got hurt at least once. There never was any lasting damage done to either of us."

"I've heard that it's really hard to leave a gang", Anzu put in then. "How did you two manage it?"

"It was rather simple, actually", Katsuya explained and kept silent to allow Honda to continue the tale: "We got the push we needed from Mai. She was an older girl, a college dropout at that time. We sort of tried to pick her pockets but she proved out to have quite the bit fight in her. We don't hit girls but she was pretty skilled nonetheless. Afterwards we talked a bit. She had experienced a childhood similar to ours and gave us the determination to try and break out of the kind of life we were leading.

"We both moved out of the neighbourhood", Honda spoke out. "I moved in with my sister and Jou managed to get his father to move as well. I was worried about my parents at first but they also moved about a year later. Around that time my sister got married and I decided to move back to my parents."

"We still see one or two familiar faces every now and then but they don't really care much about us since we didn't go with another gang or turn anyone in", Honda exclaimed and Katsuya added: "Besides, there's never more than four guys there at once and me and Honda can take them out no problem."

Yugi and Anzu were silent after that, contemplating about the things they had heard and trying to decide what to think about them. Honda and Katsuya waited patiently for the two to gather their thoughts. Finally the silence was broken when Anzu spoke out: "That actually explains a lot of things." The girl frowned in thought and Katsuya waited for her to finish. "It's so easy to understand you point of view now, Jou-kun. You've been trying to be tough for so long that you have forgotten how to let yourself be vulnerable."

"I have felt vulnerable plenty", Katsuya grumbled defensively. "I just don't like it so I try to avoid it."

"That sounds like the same thing to me", Yugi pointed out and Katsuya settled for glaring at the street in front of him, knowing that glaring at his friend would not solve anything.

The group then finally arrived at the school building and Katsuya was struck with a sudden feeling of apprehension. His eyes kept darting around the schoolyard as he and his friend walked towards the school doors. The blond was almost waiting for Seto to jump at him from behind the groups of students that were chatting together joyously. When there was no sign of the brunet in question Katsuya released a soft sigh of relief and dared to hope that Seto had decided to back off for a longer while this time around. Because the blond really needed some time to seriously think about his situation.

&&&&&&&

Kaiba reminded Yugi of a vulture. No, the brunet did not look like the bird; Kaiba just acted like a hungry animal waiting for its dinner to collapse on the ground dead.

As soon as Yugi walked with Jou to class the small boy saw the intense manner Kaiba was studying his friend. When Jou's posture stiffened next to Yugi, the star-haired boy knew that the blond had noticed it as well. Jou made his way to his seat quickly and glared at the top of his desk with enough force that it made Yugi fear that the desk might burst into flames.

Still, Yugi made his way to his own seat beside Jou's own and stole small glances at Kaiba. He knew that the brunet would not notice anything: he was too focused on studying Jou.

The stare Kaiba was directing at Jou did not break for anything other than quick blinks. It was true that Yugi had spoken in the brunet's favour many times but that look made the small boy rethink all of his earlier statements. Kaiba was really scary, actually, maybe even dangerous. The interest the brunet had in Jou bordered on obsession and obsession was never a good thing, especially in matters of love.

It did not take Yugi too long to figure out the reason behind Kaiba's stares. After their first class Yugi saw Kaiba approach Jou slowly and stayed close to the blond in order to observe the upcoming interaction. Yugi turned his attention to the manner Jou was shoving his books in his bag, clearly in a hurry to leave the class and get away from Kaiba. The small boy was expecting Kaiba to speak out at any moment to gain Jou's attention.

However, there was no sound from Kaiba and Yugi dared to peek behind Jou to see that Kaiba had not come to Jou after all. Instead the brunet was now further away than he had been before, talking to Otomya, of all people.

That was when Yugi made the connection between the impression of a vulture and Kaiba's earlier behaviour. Kaiba had been waiting for a chance to approach Jou, but that chance had not been at the end of the class. Kaiba had been waiting for an opportunity to catch Jou alone, even though the brunet had not seemed to care about how many people heard his words to Jou before. Something had changed and Yugi was not sure if it was for the better or not. Just in case the small boy would stay by Jou's side throughout the entire school day. It seemed to be the best way to keep Kaiba at bay.

No one seemed to find it strange when Yugi trailed after Jou like a shadow during the breaks between classes and neither did anyone seem to notice how Yugi was the last student to sit down in his seat at every lesson. The former action was probably ignored because Anzu and Honda were also both spending their recesses with Yugi and Jou. Their small group had become absolutely inseparable within a short time.

Still, even though no one noticed Yugi's actions, Kaiba's change in behaviour was noted. Jou, for example, was on the edge throughout the entire school day. The blond kept shooting glances at Kaiba whenever the brunet walked into a classroom after them. Honda was constantly telling Jou to let it be, that Kaiba was just trying to get Jou on the edge so that the blond would talk to him. Jou bought the explanation immediately and then proceeded to make a show of ignoring the blue-eyed brunette. Yugi thought that Honda's theory was plausible but Kaiba was not really acting like he was trying to get Jou angry. There were many, a lot more effective methods to do that. Anzu thought so too, as the girl pointed out. After that the brunette had said that Kaiba was probably thinking about a way to soothe Jou's apparent anger with him. That theory had gotten a snort from Jou in response, after which the blond had said that in that case Kaiba would be thinking for a long time since we was not finished with being annoyed.

Yugi's efforts paid off, since by the time the four friends made their way out the school gates, Kaiba had not spoken a word to Jou. Feeling rather proud of his accomplishment, Yugi decided that Kaiba would not probably harass Jou outside of school. Because of that the boy allowed himself to smile in relief when the group parted ways.

&&&&&&&

"I guess you didn't manage to catch Jounouchi alone after all", Yami commented in an all too pleased manner when he and Seto made their way down the street. They were walking again, much to Seto's dismay.

"You're being far too amused by that in my opinion", Seto muttered to the shorter teen venomously. "I'm not giving up after a single day. I have more patience than giving up so soon into the game."

"More likely you're too stubborn", Yami commented in a cheery manner, though the cheer was caused by his amusement rather than having any faith in Seto. "How about cornering him when he's home. He'll have to talk to you if you can get him to open the door for you."

"No", Seto answered simply and glared angrily at Yami when the star-haired boy opened his mouth to ask for details. For once the nuisance of a comrade stayed quiet and Seto could keep the details about his thoughts to himself. After all, Seto was not as stupid as to think that Katsuya would be an easier catch at home. No, home was where the blond's murderous father was.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I'm sorry for the terrible filler chapter but at least you got to know a bit more about the past Honda and Jou have in this story.


	6. Yugi's Breakthrough

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 6**

**Yugi's Breakthrough**

"How did you guys like the game yesterday?" Yugi questioned curiously when the group clustered around his and Jou's desks before their first class. "Would you like to play it again sometime next week?"

"It was a good game", Jou concluded and Honda nodded his head in agreement. Anzu, on the other hand, seemed a lot more excited as she spoke: "It was really exciting! A lot better than the older ones."

"I'm not sure if those kinds of games are really my thing", Jou continued when Anzu's cheers had quieted down. "It's rather too passive for my tastes."

"I have to agree with that", Honda said after Jou was finished speaking. The brunet then released a short laugh before adding: "Me and Jou are more used to games with a faster tempo. We've never really been the board-game playing type."

"It was still a fun experience", Jou hurried to finish, like he was trying to avoid hurting Yugi's feelings while also being honest. Yugi smiled widely at the kind gesture and replied: "I'm glad you guys liked it and thanks for the hint." The small boy winked at his friends playfully. "Next time I'll set up some videogames that we can play."

Further conversation was cut short by the arrival of their teacher. Everyone went down to sit behind their desks and the teacher begun a rather boring lecture about the structure of cells. Every now and then Yugi would notice movement in the corner of his eye, which indicated that Jou was fidgeting in his seat. Even though Yugi himself felt a need to be anywhere other than the classroom, he still found Jou's behaviour rather odd. Jou usually fell asleep in a boring class. The blond was clearly feeling uncomfortable and after class the reason behind this behaviour became apparent when the group was putting their books back in their bags.

"I've just about had it with Kaiba", Jou muttered with a displeased growl as he shook his bag in an annoyed manner. "He was staring at me during class again." The blond released a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "It looks like this is going to be a yet another day that I can't just be in peace."

"Is it really that hard to just ignore him?" Anzu questioned from the blond, who instantly responded with a grumbled: "Yes it is."

"Jou is jumpy", Honda commented instantly and ducked just in time to avoid the swing of Jou's fist that had been aimed for the brunet's head. Anzu instantly began to scold the blond of his behaviour and Yugi took this chance to glance at the brunet they had been talking about.

Right at that moment Kaiba was not staring at the group, but talking to the new student Otomya. The brunet was sitting at his desk while Yami leaned his hands on top of the desk and spoke quickly in what seemed to Yugi to be an excited manner. Yugi wondered what might have been the topic of conversation to have the crimson-eyed teen so interested in it.

Yugi turned back to his friends and when he noticed that everyone had their bags packed already, he spoke out: "Should we get going then?"

"Right away, Yugi", Anzu replied as she took her bag from its place on top of her desk. Honda already had his bag hanging from his shoulder but Jou was biting his lip as he eyed his bag that was still on his chair. He looked indecisive for a moment before speaking out: "I'll be staying behind for a moment."

"What? Why?" Honda immediately questioned and all answer Jou gave was glance to the direction of Kaiba's desk. Yugi immediately caught on and felt worried even as Anzu giggled and spoke in a cheery whisper: "Jou-kun is going to talk with Kaiba-kun."

"Why would he do that?" Honda said incredulously as he frowned at Jou. "What are you really up to?"

"I'm going to stay here and see if Kaiba approaches me", Jou answered sternly. "I'm tired of his constant staring. If he's so intent on talking to me then I'm going to give him a chance to talk." The blond cut any argument from Honda off with an angry glare and finally Yugi spoke out: "If you're sure that it's okay, then we aren't going to be stopping you."

"Thanks Yugi", Jou said with his usual happy smile back in place. "You guys go on ahead and I'll join you later."

"Okay", Yugi agreed and started to walk out of the room with Anzu right beside him and Honda following in a rather reluctant manner. The short boy had decided to lead the way all the way to the classroom where their next class was being held but he stopped short when he noticed the boy leaning against the wall opposite to the classroom door the trio had just walked through.

"It's Otomya-kun", came Anzu's unneeded comment. There was a light shove to Yugi's lower back and the short boy actually was not sure which one of his friends was behind it even as Anzu continued in an even more quiet tone of voice: "This is your chance, Yugi. Go talk to him." Yugi was shoved forward, towards Otomya, again and Honda's cheery voice reached Yugi's ears: "See you in the next class, Yugi!" And with that both Anzu and Honda walked away, leaving Yugi alone with Otomya.

"Hello there, Mutou-kun", the taller teen greeted Yugi instantly and Yugi felt his cheeks heat up as he hurried to reply: "H-hi, Otomya-kun." The small boy managed to gather enough courage to meet Otomya's gaze head on. "What do you think about the school so far?"

"It's been decent", Otomya answered offhandedly. "A lot better than my previous ones. The teachers know what they're doing and the students seem to be more mature." The crimson-eyed boy frowned. "Or then they're more childish. It depends on how you look at it, I suppose."

"I'm glad that you have managed to settle in", Yugi said sincerely. He thought back to before the previous class and then spoke out: "You seem to be getting along with Kaiba-kun rather well. It's completely different from gym class."

"He's interesting to hang out with", Yami confessed simply. "He's rather arrogant, though. It makes him difficult to deal with sometimes."

"The point in friendship is that you accept another person's faults along with his better qualities", Yugi said then, to which Yami replied with: "Seto's faults are rather difficult to deal with at times." The taller teen shrugged. "I guess his pride just gets on my nerves."

"It's probably because you are a prideful person yourself", Yugi commented, remembering the very same gym class he had mentioned a moment ago. "I guess neither of you really wants to give up in front of the other." Yugi looked expectantly at Yami when he was finished speaking, offering the taller boy a smile. Yami answered him with a grin and an amused reply: "I still put up with him, though. I guess we are friends then." Then the crimson-eyed teen winked at Yugi playfully, causing the shorter boy's cheeks to flare red. "You're pretty smart, Mutou-kun."

"T-thank you", Yugi managed to stutter. Yami was incredibly handsome all the time and he was beyond compare when things like smile and wink. Such small actions that Yugi saw almost daily from Honda and Jou had a completely different effect on the small boy when the tan teen in front of him was behind them.

Yugi tried desperately to come up with something intelligent to say. He wished that he could come up with anything witty that would earn him another one of Yami's smiles or, better yet, a laugh from the taller teen. Yugi worked his mind to the limit but felt that anything he thought of sounded corny or really stupid. Because of this it was a rather welcome distraction when suddenly the classroom door behind Yugi was banged open.

Turning around quickly Yugi saw Jou storm out of the room and down the corridor. The look on the blond's face had been absolutely furious. It had actually frightened Yugi for a moment and the short boy thought that he had mistaken someone else for his friend. Still, it was obvious that the angry, blond-haired boy was no other than Yugi's friend Jou, so Yugi did the only thing he saw fit.

"I have to go now", Yugi told Otomya quickly. "Sorry. Bye, Otomya-kun!" That said Yugi rushed off after Jou. "Jou! Wait up!" Yugi called after his friend and was unsure if he heard the shout from behind him: "Just call me Yami, Mutou-kun!"

Since Jou's legs were a lot longer than Yugi's, the short boy did not manage to catch up to his friend before the blond had stopped in front of the classroom where their next lesson would be held. Honda and Anzu were inside the classroom and Jou hesitated to go inside. When Yugi came up next to the blond he saw why.

Jou's face was completely red from clear anger. Yugi decided to play it safe and kept a distance to his friend as he silently fumed over one thing or another. Yugi was quite certain that Kaiba had done something to make Jou mad yet again and now Jou was giving himself time to calm down so that he would not explode at his friends.

After a short while Jou's face was closer to its normal color and Yugi saw it fit to speak out: "Hi Jou. How did things go with Kaiba?"

The blond actually jumped, clearly not having noticed Yugi before the small boy had spoken. Jou recovered rather quickly though as he looked at Yugi with rather fake calmness and replied in a strained tone of voice: "Things went right off the deep end."

"That bad then?" Yugi questioned in an apologetic tone before reaching out and grasping Jou's arm in a friendly manner. "Come on now, Jou. I'm sure that a few jokes with Honda is all you need to regain your smile."

"Let's try that, then", Jou agreed and allowed Yugi to lead him into the classroom. Unfortunately to the two boys, however, Anzu and Honda did not seem to be interested in jokes. As soon as the new arrivals reached the duo in the classroom Anzu questioned in a hushed tone of voice: "So, how did it go?"

"What did Kaiba want?" Honda added in instantly and Yugi noticed Jou become tense underneath his hand. The blond released a shivering breath before speaking out: "Kaiba was trying to get me to go out with him, like all the other times he has talked with me." The blond grew silent then, apparently not willing to continue.

"And?" Anzu pressed on when Jou's silence had continued for some time. The blond shot a brief glare at the girl before speaking icily: "He said some things and gave some threats that weren't really threatening in the least." Jou released a laugh that had sharp enough to cut through solid steel. "He actually thought I would fall for his stupid tactics. I proved him wrong." That last part was said with a proud grin that immediately worried Anzu.

"Please don't tell me you hit him", Anzu pleased, just like Yugi had expected. Jou glared at the brunette again before answering: "I didn't hit him. Just look when he comes into class; he's pretty face is completely intact."

"Did you just day Kaiba has a pretty face?" Honda questioned then, to which Jou snapped: "Yes I did. I may hate the guy but I'm not blind." As Honda fell silent then Yugi fought back a laugh at Jou's comeback. It was just like the blond to be so blunt and honest.

_About fifteen minutes earlier…_

After his friends left the classroom Katsuya moved his books around in his bag, trying to look like he was still in the middle of packing. The blond felt the sound of nearing steps and held his breath in order to hear Seto's approach more clearly. Because of that Katsuya knew exactly when the brunet was right behind him and gasped out breathlessly: "Kaiba."

"Katsuya", Seto replied. He did not move from his position behind Katsuya and the blond did not turn around to meet the brunet face to face. Still, Seto clearly moved closer since Katsuya could feel the warmth that radiated from the other's body on his back. Katsuya's breath caught in his throat because of the sudden closeness but the blond instantly calmed down when Seto reached out by his side to grasp one of his hands. Katsuya focused on the smooth skin of Seto's hand and suddenly he felt a lot calmer.

Seto's fingers caressed Katsuya's skin gently and the blond found his body reacting without his mind telling it to. Before Katsuya could stop himself he had leaned back, bringing his back against Seto's wide chest. The brunet's steady breathing brushed again the shell of Katsuya's ear occasionally and the blond was actually starting to enjoy the situation he was in.

The serene atmosphere was shattered cruelly, however, when Seto spoke out: "Go out with me."

Wrenching himself away from Seto's arms Katsuya whirled around to glare at the brunet with all his might. His voice was thick with venom as he shot a challenge at the brunet: "Why should I go out with you? Give me one good reason."

"If you don't go on a date with me, I'll go out with that Miho-girl from class B", Seto replied instantly with a threatening tone of voice. Katsuya looked at the brunet sceptically as he questioned: "And I would care about that why?"

"You're the possessive sort", Seto insisted. "I thought you would prefer not seeing me go out with others."

Katsuya grit his teeth together as his rage towards the brunet threatened to overflow. How dared Seto think that he could manipulate Katsuya in this way? Katsuya refused to be treated like a girl and neither would he agree to being treated like he was stupid. Seto could not treat him like he wished; Katsuya would not allow the brunet to hurt him by using him like that.

"It's not like we are a couple, Kaiba, so what business is it of mine?" Katsuya asked in an angry drawl. "Neither do I want to be with you." Katsuya shot the brunet a look of pure malice. "To be completely honest, Kaiba, no one would sincerely want to be with you if you played them like that."

"You actually have the guts to talk to me like that?" Seto snapped at Katsuya. The blond looked at the brunet's face and was satisfied to see s blush of anger on the usually pale cheeks. It seemed that Seto did actually have some real emotions in him, the blond noted as he gave the brunet a falsely sweet smile and replied: "Yes, yes I do." And with that Katsuya turned around and walked out of the classroom, leaving Seto behind to gape at his back in disbelief.

&&&&&&&

As Seto watched Katsuya walk out on him, the brunet could not help but think that things had most certainly not gone according to his plan. Katsuya's reaction had been nothing like how Seto had envisioned it when he had devised this plot. Sure, he had expected Katsuya to become angry with him but he had not expected the blond to speak so boldly to him. Not to mention Seto was now absolutely certain that going out with a girl like he had threatened would only serve to alienate Katsuya from him even further.

"Ah, here you are", Yami's voice spoke out suddenly and Seto glanced up to see the star-haired teen peeking in through the open doorway. "I ran into a really angry Jounouchi, so I guess you had a talk with him, then? Didn't really go according to plan, did it?"

"Just shut up", Seto growled before releasing a heavy sigh. "The jealousy card didn't work, so what? I'll come up with something else soon enough."

"It's good to know that you're staying optimistic", Yami commented with a wide grin, to which Seto cut in by saying: "I'm not optimistic, I'm realistic."

"A realist would have already concluded that they stood no chance with Jounouchi", Yami spoke out and Seto shoved the crimson-eyed boy aside as he left the classroom. Yami moved to follow the brunet so Seto spoke: "I'm a realist in the sense that I am aware of my abilities. And I know that my abilities are enough to melt Katsuya's heart to me." From the corner of his eyes Seto noticed Yami roll his eyes and added defensively: "It's simply taking a longer time than I thought it would."

"To put it lightly…" Yami muttered in an offhanded manner. "That's definitely more like optimism than realism."

"Why do you insist on annoying me so much?" Seto snapped at the star-haired teen, shooting the other an angered glare. "Why do I even lower myself to being in your company?"

"Because you had some kind of a plan to get Jounouchi to soften up", Yami answered before questioning in a curious tone of voice: "What was your plan this time anyway?"

"I attempted to take advantage of Katsuya's jealous nature", Seto replied and frowned then in displeasure. "It didn't really work out." The brunet smoothened his expression before continuing: "But I still have one brilliant plan up my sleeve."

"Great", Yami spoke in response. "Let's hear it then."

"Oh, I'm not going to reveal it to you yet", Seto insisted with a smug smirk at finally having the upper hand in an argument with Yami. "If other people know about it too soon, it's going to fail."

"Why didn't you just go with that plan first?" Yami questioned then. "I mean, it's probably the first plan you got so wouldn't that be the first one you use?"

"No", Seto spat out and shot his companion another glare. "What's the point in having multiple plans if you don't have one ultimate plan to assure your victory?" Even though Seto spoke those words, his mind had a different answer to the question. Seto did not want Yami to know about his grand plan because the star-haired teen also had an important part in it. And the thing was that if Yami knew of this part he would not act in the manner Seto had visualised and that would ruing everything for the brunet. He needed Yami to stay oblivious and not suspect anything.

"By the way, I talked with Mutou-kun today", Yami spoke out then and Seto glanced at the shorter teen again.

"Yeah, and?" the brunet grumbled impatiently. Yami glanced down at the floor and Seto almost faltered in his steps. Yami had blushed! Seto was absolutely certain that he had seen the other teen do it. So the conversation with Yugi had opened Yami's eyes to new possibilities then. Seto fought back a victorious smirk that would have definitely aroused Yami's suspicions. The current situation went along perfectly with Seto's plans. And to think, the brunet had not even had to do anything to cause this to happen.

_**To be continued…**_


	7. Katsuya's Breakdown

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 7**

**Katsuya's Breakdown**

"My weekend is now officially ruined!" Katsuya exclaimed loudly as soon as he had sat down on top of his desk at school. Anzu, Honda and Yugi all lifted curious gazes to the blond, encouraging him to continue.

"My dad got promoted", Katsuya said and immediately got interrupted by Anzu cheering: "That's great!" and by Honda bellowing: "What's so bad about that?"

"That's not the bad part about it", Katsuya grumbled in distaste. "The bad part is that he has to go to a party that his boss his holding." The blond ran a hand through his hair and released a heavy sigh. "Dad's boss thinks that he should get to know dad better so he insisted that dad brings his family with him to the party." Katsuya paused briefly as he began to seethe in annoyance again. "I'm the only one who can go so dad won't allow me to not go."

"I know what you mean now", Honda commented when Katsuya was finished. "Not only do you have to be in the presence of adults, you have to be in the presence of uptight adults."

"You are being too negative about this, Jou-kun", Anzu put in. "You should support your father in his pursuit of his career."

"I am supporting him!" Katsuya snapped, actually growing angry now. "I am going to that stupid dinner party, aren't I?"

"That's good, Jou", Yugi piped in, finally managing to have a say in the conversation. "Sometimes you have to do things that you don't like for people you care about."

"Yeah, yeah I know", Katsuya muttered as he waved his hand dismissively. "I just wanted to do something else other than meet people three times my age who will look down their noses at me." The blond frowned. "It's not pleasant at all."

"It'll be okay", Honda comforted then, giving a pat on Katsuya's shoulder. The blond had been expecting the gesture so he did not feel the usual unpleasant shivers he got when he was touched by another. Katsuya was completely calm both on the inside and the outside as Honda eyed him carefully. Katsuya knew that Honda was checking if he was okay with the contact before continuing: "It's just a few hours and then it'll be over."

"Right", Katsuya mumbled in a defeated tone of voice. "Just a few hours, right out of my Sunday afternoon and evening."

"Like you would have actually done anything then", Anzu huffed. "Most likely you would have just sat on the couch watching some lousy old movies."

"At least I would have been enjoying myself more then than in some stupid party", Katsuya grumbled and crossed his arms. "And to make matters worse it's a dance party. I'm going to need a date for myself." The thought itself had Katsuya frowning in distaste. "I wonder if Sakura is doing anything then."

"Oh, you don't want to go with Sakura", Anzu said then. "She wouldn't look cute at all in a dress. I, however, would love to be your date." The girl smiled brightly. "I've never been to any adult parties before."

"Fine you can be my date, even though I can't see why you are so willing", Katsuya mumbled and Anzu looked like she was about to argue with the blond's words but she did not even get a chance to open her mouth when their teacher walked into the classroom. The brunette then quickly made her way to her seat like the good little teacher's pet that she was. Katsuya also moved himself from on top of his desk to his chair.

After the lesson Katsuya was just about to leave the classroom with his friends when two girls approached him. Katsuya did not really spend any time with these two particular girls so he only knew their last names: Murawa and Itsumi. Murawa was a rather short girl with black, shoulder-length hair and Itsumi was a medium-tall girl with red hair that reached halfway down her back. As usual, her hair had been tied into a ponytail above her head.

"Jounouchi-kun, we would like a word with you", Itsumi spoke out politely and Katsuya just nodded his head in response. It was not like he had a reason to refuse to talk to the girl. Katsuya smiled at his friends as he waved them off before turning his attention to the female duo and speaking out in playful manner: "So, what can I do for you beautiful ladies?"

Murawa had been pressing her mouth into a thin line all that time but as soon as Katsuya spoke out an invitation to speak the girl blurted out: "Why are you stealing our man?" revealing to Katsuya that the two girls were without a doubt members of the Kaiba Seto fan club.

"Stealing?" Katsuya questioned as he blinked in a confused manner at the shorter girl. To think, he had actually thought her to be the more quiet one of the two. Still, Katsuya could not help but let his embarrassment add a little bit of harshness to his tone as he replied: "Excuse me, ladies, but I am not the one handing out the flowers here. He's after me and I would prefer if he wasn't."

The two girls looked speechless for a moment but just as Katsuya was ready to sigh in relief Itsumi started to speak: "But why would you refuse Kaiba Seto? Why would you prefer that he was not interested in you?"

"Because he almost stalks me", Katsuya replied easily before peering at the red-head. "And why are so keen on pairing me up with him?" Katsuya would have thought that the two would have been ecstatic to find out that Seto was not having his feelings returned, giving them a chance to 'comfort' the brunet of their dreams.

Itsumi actually looked rather embarrassed, like she had been caught in some forbidden act, before replying in a rather dreamy manner: "It's just that you two would definitely, without a doubt, be the hottest couple in the entire school."

It took Katsuya a moment to recover from his shock enough to utter back weakly: "You do realize that we're both guys, right?" Itsumi merely nodded her head enthusiastically while Murawa mumbled weakly: "That's what's so hot about it, you know?"

"Oh…" Katsuya managed to let out weakly. He nodded his head to simply have something to do with his body. He did not think he had ever felt so awkward before than at that moment when he spoke out: "Okay…"

Seemingly satisfied about having been able to have their say, Itsumi and Murawa walked off and left Katsuya alone with his droplets of nervous sweat.

'Freaky…' the blond thought to himself. The blond nearly jumped out of his skin when a male voice spoke out suddenly: "So, does that mean you are on the market?"

Jou whirled around to meet eyes that were a reddish shade of brown. The narrow eyes belonged to a well-tanned face that was framed by shoulder-length locks of silvery white hair. The person's mouth was turned into a smirk that showed sharp, canine-like teeth and Katsuya easily recognized the boy that had managed to sneak up on him.

"Hello, Bakura", Katsuya greeted the albino, not letting the peculiar smirk on the other's face bother him. He had grown used to that look during the years, having been in the same gang with Bakura many years ago. Bakura was actually the boy's first name. All the teachers, much to the boy's annoyance, called him Sariko. Bakura had a deep dislike towards his surname, claiming that as soon as he was of age, he would change it. These feelings were most likely brought around by the white-haired boy's deep dislike towards his abusive father. Bakura was actually stronger than his old man, beating up his father more often than he himself got beat up. Still, during their younger years Katsuya and Honda had often bandaged up the injuries Bakura got from his father. Because of his harsh life from early on, Bakura seemed cold to everyone and almost sinister to most. Still, Katsuya had decided a long time ago that Bakura was okay in his books and the white-haired teen seemed to think the same way about the blond. Because of this the of them were still on somewhat friendly terms, even though Katsuya had left the gang life behind him and Bakura had not.

"Why are you suddenly interested in my social life?" Katsuya questioned from his old friend, offering the other a playful smile. "The school paper doesn't pay for rumour tips, you know."

"Of course I know that", Bakura responded instantly. "They get all their material from the gossiping girls for free." The tan teen ran a hand through his hair as he smirked at Katsuya again. "I was asking for…personal reasons."

"Oh?" Katsuya questioned with his eyebrows lifted up in curiosity. "And what might those reasons be?"

"Well", Bakura drawled as he stepped closer to Katsuya, causing the blond to back up against one of the desks. "I just thought that… Well, you know." Bakura waved his hand around dismissively. Katsuya frowned at the other teen and drawled: "No, I don't. How about you just come out and tell me?"

"Well, you're sexy and I'm sexy", Bakura said in a meaningful manner. Then the teen grabbed Katsuya by his shoulders. "And the rest I can probably just show you." With that the albino leaned forward and clamped his lips over Katsuya's own. The blond tried to release a startled sound but that only got Bakura's tongue in his mouth, running over and around his own one.

When Bakura pulled back for air Katsuya was panting heavily, trying to regain his breath from having it stolen from him so suddenly. Katsuya felt anger burn in his stomach as he was about to snap at Bakura for not asking how he felt before doing something like that, but was cut off when Bakura muttered, right against his lips: "Actions speak louder than words, don't you agree?"

"No, I don-mph!" Katsuya tried to argue with the other teen but was unable to do so before Bakura was kissing him again. Katsuya was growing angrier by the minute but when Bakura's rough hands were pushed underneath the blond's shirt Katsuya forgot all about being angry. Suddenly Katsuya felt like there was ice water in his veins instead of blood and in that same instant the blond forgot where and when he was.

Hands pushed Katsuya against a hard surface by the hips. He wanted to scream but had forgotten how. Hungry lips bruised his lips with nips and sucking before moving away from the now tingling flesh as a tongue started to flick against the skin of his neck a moment before teeth bit down on the spot, causing Katsuya to grunt in displeasure.

"Are you starting to like it?" a husky voice whispered into Katsuya's ears as the blond felt someone's hot breath on his neck. At the same time those rough hands ran up and down his stomach and sides, causing Katsuya to shiver from the cold only he was feeling.

A pair of hips was pressed against Katsuya's own, a hard erection pressing against the blond's unresponsive crotch. Katsuya grunted again and one of the hands went away from below his shirt to grasp him through his pants. At this part Katsuya released a sob, unable to remember when he had started to cry.

"What the-?" a voice grunted in a questioning manner suddenly and finally the body pressing against Katsuya's own previously was gone. Katsuya took full advantage of the situation and lashed out blindly at the blurry figure in front of him before making a wild dash out of the room. There was a voice shouting something behind him but Katsuya did not understand the words as he continued to run like his life depended on it.

Katsuya's escape was not an easy one as the blond continued to bump into obstacles, some of them other people and other were walls and lockers. It was not a long time until one of those obstacles simply refused to let Katsuya continue on running.

Arms. Frighteningly strong arms were wrapped around Katsuya's body, holding the blond in place even as he continued to struggle against the hold. Still, the arms were unrelenting as one continued to hold Katsuya from behind the back as another one was moved upwards, so that a hand pulled Katsuya's head forward. Katsuya was pressed against a warm body and his face pulled against what he figured must have been a shoulder. Katsuya smelled a pleasant scent then. It reminded the blond of something that made him feel safe and little by little his raging heart began to slow down.

The hand that had grabbed the back of Katsuya's head was now caressing the blond's cheek. The skin of the hand was smooth, the complete opposite of those evil hands from before. Little by little, as Katsuya started to calm down and warmth returned to his body, the blond started to remember what had happened before his blackout. Katsuya remembered the ending of their lesson and his friends, he remembered talking to the two girls and later on to Bakura. Bakura…

Katsuya shivered unpleasantly as he remembered Bakura's touch on his skin, and how disgusting it had felt at the time. But the blond also felt embarrassed for flipping out like that. He had actually thought, deep down inside, that he had been touched by Keith again. Katsuya felt uncomfortably hot then, as his eyes stung in the most bitter of ways.

As soon as the first sniffle broke out from the blond Katsuya was hugged tightly by the person who had caught him. Again that same, soothing scent drifted to Katsuya's nose and this time the blond actually had an idea of what the scent reminded him of. The blond felt his body heat up even more as he thought about how embarrassing it would be if the person holding him turned out to be who he suspected.

'Please be Honda, please be Honda…' Katsuya thought in a mantra as he turned his face into an angle that would allow him to see the person hugging him. It was not Honda.

"Katsuya", Seto breathed out slowly, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Katsuya's own. "You're hurt again…"

A strange feeling took over Katsuya's body then. It was a terrible roller coaster, a mix of fear, sadness, relief, happiness and even love. At the same time Katsuya wanted run and hide, to hit Seto to get the other's hands off him and also to kiss the brunet and confess his undying love to the other boy.

In the confusion that raked the blond's brain Katsuya settled for a nice compromise. The blond sighed softly and placed his head back down on Seto's shoulder. In a desperate attempt to avoid making the decision about his current feelings Katsuya whined weakly against Seto's neck: "I don't feel too good."

"Don't worry, Katsuya", Seto spoke in a supporting manner. "I'll take you to the nurse's office." And with that the brunet moved his grip on Katsuya so that the blond was nestled against Seto's side with the brunet's arm around his waist. Catching on to what the taller teen was after Katsuya lifted his own arm to grasp onto Seto's shoulder for support. Then the brunet began to lead the blond down the school corridors.

A part of Katsuya was disappointed and another part was glad that Seto had not decided to simply scoop Katsuya up into his arms and carry him through the school. It would have spared the blond the trouble of moving his still shaky legs but it would have also been another method of treating Katsuya like a girl. Still, no matter how Seto helped him, Katsuya was still glad that it was Seto helping him and no one else.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Yea, the last additional cast member is going to be Bakura. Now who saw that coming? On a side note though: Bakura is not a bad guy in this story nor is he a rapist out to get Jou. He's simply attracted to Jou and since he heard that Jou was gay he decided to try his chances. He would have stopped what he was doing if he had noticed that Jou was terrified. But, he was not looking at Jou's face so he never noticed a thing. Thank you.


	8. Anzu's Brilliant Idea

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 8**

**Anzu's Brilliant Idea**

When Jou had not appeared into their second class, Yugi had been really worried. Anzu had also been beyond herself with worry and even Honda seemed to be uneasy because of the disappearance of the fourth member of their group. When Sariko Bakura had approached Honda to tell the brunet to tell Jou that it would have been enough to simply say 'no', Yugi noticed that Honda grew a lot more fidgety and seemed to be in a hurry to leave their second lesson.

As soon as the teacher had given the class permission to leave, Honda wad out of his seat and had instantly rushed to Sariko to question him about his previous comment. It was clear that Honda was worried and that he thought that the white-haired boy might know where Jou was. But, Honda came back empty-handed and Sariko almost left with a black eye. Fortunately Anzu was able to stop Honda from getting violent by smacking the boy to the back of his head.

While Anzu was scolding Honda,Yugi was approached by no other than Kaiba, who told the smaller boy that he had taken Jou to the nurse's office before the lesson, because Jou had been feeling unwell. After that Kaiba left and Yugi immediately told his other two friends what he had heard. Together the group made their way to Jou, who assured them that he was fine and that he must have just eaten too little breakfast and then proceeded to drag the other three to the school cafeteria. Well, he dragged Yugi there and the other two followed willingly.

The trio was still worried about the fourth member of their group and kept a close watch on Jou through the last lesson of the day. When Jou showed no signs of abnormal behaviour they finally decided to let the thing slide and by the time the group was making its way to Anzu's house after school, everyone was laughing and joking around like always. All of the boys were actually very curious to see what it was that Anzu had been wanting to show them for half a week.

&&&&&&&

Honda, Yugi and Jou were sitting around Anzu's kitchen table. They were all staring at the same exact spot in wary silence. There was a foreign object in the middle of the table and all the boys were feeling distrusting towards it.

"What the heck is that thing?" Honda's voice broke the heavy silence. Yugi glanced at the look of distaste on the brunet's face and then looked at the object again before speaking out his own thoughts: "It looks rather creepy."

"It's kinky", Jou snapped as he poked the item with a chopstick. Yugi frowned slightly at the claim; he had always thought that leather was what was considered kinky. The boy voiced his thoughts by pointing out: "It's pink and fluffy."

"Exactly", Jou agreed and grimaced. "Not to mention it sparkles."

"It has glitter on it", Honda concluded and Yugi turned his attention to the brunet again. "**Why** does it have glitter on it?"

"I think it's considered girly", Yugi suggested as he remembered the kinds of pens that Anzu carried with her. He had made it a silent vow to never borrow a pen from Anzu, even going as far as not taking notes in school at all to avoid it.

"You don't suppose it's contagious, do you?" Jou muttered suspiciously, immediately gaining the attention of the other two boys in the room. Yugi did not think that glitter was contagious, even if it did stick into people's hands and clothes. He told the other two males this and got two identical incredulous looks back. It took Yugi a short moment to recognize the looks.

"That's what I think!" Yugi cried out desperately, waving his arms frantically. Then he tried to explain his views by means of using an example: "It's like lipstick, really?"

"How would you know?" questioned Honda with a rather frightening glare. "Have you ever touched glitter or a glittering object before?"

"Um…no?" Yugi replied, feeling his feeble confidence fade. Fortunately the awkward atmosphere was broken when Anzu strolled into the kitchen and looked at the item on the table.

"You haven't even looked at it!" the girl exclaimed in an angered tone of voice. The hostile mood the brunette was clearly in almost sent Yugi hiding underneath the kitchen table. The star-haired youth looked at his two male friends to find out if they were going to hold a united front. Jou was looking at the wooden table top in an embarrassed manner, Anzu could do that to people, while Honda had opened his mouth to let loose an argument of sorts.

Yugi spoke a small prayer in his mind.

"We haven't let our eyes wander from it once", Honda insisted and Anzu glowered at him in a manner that only females were capable of. Slowly the girl spoke out: "It has not been touched."

"We have too touched it!" Honda snapped back childishly, the words followed by Jou's whisper of: "With various utensils."

It seemed that Anzu did not hear Jou's comment as she merely glared at each member of the trio in turn before questioning: "Then what do you think about it?"

"What is it?" Honda shot back, miraculously managing to keep a straight face while receiving the full effect of Anzu's glare. "As soon as you tell us that, we will tell you what we think about it, whatever it is."

Anzu actually faltered in her righteous anger when faced with Honda's words. She blinked at the seated boys once before asking: "Isn't it obvious?" The girl clapped her hands together, clearly excited about getting to explain her idea. "It's s friendship journal!"

The name Anzu had given the object did not sound too dangerous to Yugi and now that the boy looked at the item still sitting innocently on the table, he realized that it did actually look like a book. Encouraged by this realization Yugi questioned: "What is it used for?"

"It's a book where we write notes for each other", Anzu spoke and picked the small book off the table. "We can write about things we have done or experienced. One of us will write an entry and the others will comment on it. The book will be passed down in a cycle within our group so that everyone gets a chance to write. If you don't know what to write then you can simply pass it on to the next person. Usually the book is passed down when an entry is written." Anzu grinned widely as she pulled the book against her chest. "The girls in class B were doing it and I thought that we should try it too."

"But that's girly stuff!" Jou whined. "We're guys!"

"Is that so, Shizuka-chan?" Anzu questioned in a frighteningly chilling tone of voice. Jou visibly shrank in his seat after hearing it and Anzu beamed at the group again. "Now that we have things settled, I think we should decide on the order the book will pass on in."

"Sure thing, Anzu", Yugi said timidly. The small boy had decided that the smartest thing to do in this situation would be to go along with whatever Anzu had planned.

There was a sigh from Honda, a sign that the brunet had given in as well and then the tallest member of the group spoke out: "Then how about you go first, Anzu? You can show us how to use this thing."

"Certainly!" Anzu cheered, excited about the chance to teach something to her friends. She jumped to the table and put the book down in front of her before sitting down.

"I'll show you right here!" the girl started before picking up a discarded pen. "I'll write something down and you guys can write replies to that." The girl smiled excitedly. "I thought that we should all write in different colors. I call blue."

The thought that Anzu had chosen that color simply because it had been the color of the pen she had picked up crossed Yugi's mind, but he did not bother thinking too deeply to that. The color of the pen did not really matter that much, but it would make sense for everyone to pick their favorite color and Anzu's was bright red.

"Shizuka-chan can have pink", Honda commented with a grin and got a pen thrown at him. The projectile hit the brunet right in the middle of his forehead and his exclamation of pain was followed by a victorious one from Jou. The blond boy then snarled at his old friend: "No way. I call green."

By the time Jou had rummaged through his book bag for the color in question Honda had picked up the pen Jou had thrown at him. Yugi saw the brunet lift the pen up, probably about to chuck it back at the offender, and then pause.

"I'll take orange", Honda commented as he placed the pen on the table in front of him. Yugi smiled at the display before adding: "In that case I call purple." And with that he brandished his favorite-colored pen from his bag.

Anzu nodded her head in acceptance before flipping the pink book open and starting to write in it. While the girl was focused on this task Honda muttered under his breath, the words loud enough for only Yugi, who sat right next to the brunet, to hear: "But does it have to be pink?"

When Anzu was finally finished with writing down into the book, she put her pen down and slid the book across the table to Honda, saying: "Your turn now, Honda-kun."

"But I picked my color before he did", Jou pointed out from the girl's other side. "I should get to write down next."

"You threw Honda-kun's color at him, so, technically, he had a color chosen for him before you did", Anzu replied. Jou leaned back in his seat, muttering: "Well, damn…"

There was a chuckle from Honda before the brunet read whatever it was that Anzu had written down. Then he scribbled down a short message and passed the book over to Jou. Yugi waited patiently as Jou read the text and saw the blond grin widely before he wrote down his own entry. Then the book finally came to Yugi. The small boy accepted the book when Jou handed it over to him and started to read.

At the top of the page there was the date for today in Anzu's neat handwriting. The short entry that started below the date was written in the same color and manner: _Yesterday at dance class, one of the girls tried to threaten me to not make her look so bad during lessons. I told her that I have an ex-gangster as a friend and she kept quiet after that._

Below the blue words there was an even shorter entry written in orange: _Which of us were you talking about there?_

Underneath Honda's message there was a short sentence from Jou, written in green: _Yugi, of course._

Yugi released a bright laugh after reading the last comment and was inspired to write down: _Yeah, I'm 42 kilograms of pure muscle._ When he was finished he handed the book back to Anzu, who giggled at the replies she had gotten.

"This is perfect, guys", the girl said in an amused manner as she closed the book. "I will bring the real journal to school on Monday, okay?"

"Wait a minute", Honda cut in suddenly. "What do you mean, the real journal? What are you saying?"

Anzu grinned widely at the brunet before replying: "Did you really think **this** was going to be our friendship journal?" The girl waved the book in her hand. "I was just messing with you guys." The brunette laughed brightly as he placed the book back on the table, earning a few chuckles from the boys sitting around her.

"Whoever was that poor fool who said that Anzu doesn't have a sense of humour?" Honda spoke dramatically. "They were very wrong."

The tall brunet got an object thrown at him again, this time an eraser that was followed by Jou saying: "That was **you**, you dork. It was today before lunch."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Sorry about the crappy filler chapter, guys. I have been toying with this idea for some time and decided to just go ahead and write it.

Also, 42 kg is the same as 92.4 lb.


	9. Katsuya's Long Night

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 9**

**Katsuya's Long Night**

"Thank you, Jou-kun!" Anzu exclaimed as Katsuya opened the door of his father's car for her. The girl jumped out of the vehicle without Katsuya's help and whirled around to face the blond boy with her elegant, night blue dress twirling slightly around her legs. The dress very pretty but also subtle and Katsuya decided that he liked the brunette's style a lot better than Mai's a lot braver one.

The dress was made of dark blue sating and reached some generous inches below Anzu's knees. The hem of the dress had slight frills on it, the same color as the rest of the dress. The neckline of the dress was rather ordinary, resembling that of a tank top. The thin straps on the girl's shoulders were loose, drooping slightly over the slight curve of the brunette's shoulders. Anzu had decided to complete her outfit with some gold jewellery: simple earrings and a thin chain around her neck. The girl also had a similar chain around her left wrist.

Katsuya had not gone through half as much trouble as Anzu and had felt rather embarrassed by that when he had seen the trouble the brunette had gone through. The girl had however assured Katsuya that he looked very handsome in the jade green suit that Shizuka had worn the previous summer. Katsuya had stuck with the green theme, wearing a murky green dress shirt beneath the suit jacket and also wearing a mint green tie. Katsuya had sent a great deal of time fighting with his hair after taking a shower, under his father's instructions. Now the wild hair had been somewhat tamed, making Katsuya look awfully like his father. Fortunately the man was wearing a traditional black suit with a white shirt and a blue tie so at least the two were not dressed alike.

"Now you kids behave", Osamu ordered his son firmly as he helped his date for the night out of the passenger seat. The woman was Ide Yuriko, a beautiful black-haired woman that had worked together with Osamu on several corporation projects. Even though the woman looked absolutely stunning in her long, deep violet dress that stuck to her thin body like second skin and with her straight, shoulder length hair Katsuya was not impressed. In the teen's opinion, his mother would have been ten times more beautiful in that dress or any other dress at that matter.

"Dad, we're seventeen", Katsuya argued with distaste evident in his voice. "I'm pretty sure that we can behave ourselves just fine."

"If you say so", Osamu spoke before Ide took him by the arm and the man lead the woman into the large, western-style mansion that his superior lived in. As Katsuya watched the mansion he frowned, thinking that it was such a pathetic attempt at showing off. The blond brushed his own disgust at the superficiality aside when Anzu locked their arms together and flashed him an excited smile. The girl had truly looked forward to this and Katsuya decided that since the girl was really doing him a favor by coming there with him, he would do his best to help the brunette enjoy the night. Even though Anzu's enthusiasm was seriously dampening his mood, since the blond had not liked the idea of participating in the party in the first place.

"This is going to be so much fun, Jou-kun!" Anzu cheered excitedly as she pretty much dragged Katsuya towards the doors of the mansion. It was with a very pathetic attempt at enthusiasm that Katsuya replied: "Yeah, whatever…" To be completely honest, the words were full of reluctance and boredom.

"Come on Jou-kun. Cheer up", Anzu coaxed the blond boy. The brunette then leaned slightly closer as she spoke in a lower tone of voice: "Or would you prefer to be the one wearing the dress?"

"Anzu!" Katsuya hissed, instantly feeling flustered as Anzu giggled before saying in a tone of voice that most certainly was not apologetic: "I'm sorry, Jou-kun." The girl giggled again. "I just couldn't resist."

The two teens walked into the mansion side by side right after Osamu and Ide. Katsuya followed after his father dutifully as Osamu made his way to a man who was way beyond middle age. He found out that the man was Itami Yasuharo, his father's boss. Katsuya greeted the man politely when they were introduced. After that, in Katsuya's opinion, rather awkward situation the foursome made its way to the buffet table so that they would not be in the way of the dancing couples and conversing guests.

The music playing was rather pleasant, even though it was nowhere near to the music that Katsuya was used to listening to. The blond's mood was actually starting to lift, but it came crashing down again when his father spoke to Ide: "Yuriko, would you care to dance?"

Before the woman could answer the query Katsuya grabbed his father's arm and spoke out: "Dad, I need to talk to you about something important. It'll only take a second."

"Alright then", Osamu said with a nod and then turned to Ide. "Hold that thought."

The raven-haired woman released a curt laugh at the comment and nodded her head briefly. Osamu then turned to follow after his son right outside the hearing range of the two females.

"Why are you asking her to dance?" Katsuya immediately growled at the man. Osamu blinked in surprise at the hostility before replying simply: "It's the proper thing to do since I brought her here. It would not be fair of me to simply leave a woman standing around."

"Damn it, dad. How do you think this makes me feel?" Katsuya insisted. "All this time I thought mom was wrong about you cheating on her and now I see you acting like a proper date to a woman I don't know."

"I never cheated on Ayami", Osamu spoke sternly, his tone a lot cooler than Katsuya had heard it in a long time. "Not in the actual meaning of the word."

"Then how did you non-cheat?" Katsuya questioned with a venomous tone. Osamu released a heavy sigh before starting to speak: "I loved your mother, Katsuya, I really did. Her feelings simply weren't as strong as mine."

"And then what?" Katsuya snapped. "You searched for that missing love elsewhere?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth, boy", Osamu spoke in a low voice that actually had Katsuya quieting down. "Listen to me, Katsuya. What I meant to say was that Ayami did not trust me. She was lacking in that department. I was always away at work and business parties so she doubted my loyalty for a long time. It was only at one part that another woman kissed me and that was not two-sided. However, I was not able to get all the lipstick off."

"But what about all the evenings mom complained about perfume smell? That was more than once", Katsuya insisted. His father seemed serious and honest but the story simply had too many holes in it for Katsuya to accept it as the truth.

"Katsuya", Osamu spoke, gaining the boy's unwavering attention. "The truth is that I love to dance, more than anything else."

"What?" Katsuya asked incredulously with a blink. "Are you serious?"

"Yes", Osamu replied curtly and Katsuya blinked once more in confusion. "Ayami is an awful dancer but I can't get enough of it. I was always loyal to her, I never felt anything for any of my partners."

"Damn it", Katsuya growled out. "And you still let mom file for divorce? Why didn't you explain?"

"She was unhappy", Osamu shot back. "In my opinion, I was surprised that she had not grown tired earlier. We were very young when we got married. Perhaps it was too soon."

"You're both quitters in my opinion", Katsuya snapped viciously. The blond then shook his head. "It's no use worrying about that anymore. Past is past." Katsuya crossed his arms in thought. "But I can't believe that I never had any idea that you were such a passionate dancer."

"Well", Osamu drawled in response. "I never had any idea that you would cross dress."

Shooting his father a heated glare Katsuya growled out: "Shut up, dad."

With a bright laugh Osamu ruffled Katsuya's hair and at the blond knew that he and his father had settled things now. The two males then made their way back to the females that had been waiting for them. Osamu then took Ide to the dancing floor and the two began to move to the music. The last doubts Katsuya had about his father's honesty dissipated when the blond saw how well his father lead Ide across the dance floor. It was with some embarrassment that Katsuya realized that his father was actually better than he was.

"Wow, your father is a really good dancer", Anzu commented and Katsuya hummed in agreement. The brunette turned to Katsuya before speaking in a questioning tone of voice: "I would really like to dance too, you know."

"Oh?" Katsuya started with a startled blink. "With me?" The blond pointed at himself. Anzu actually laughed before shooting back: "Who else is there?"

"Well, there is me, for example", a male voice spoke suddenly. Anzu and Katsuya turned their heads as one to see a young man standing next to them. The man had a tan skin and long hair that was such a dark obsidian shade that it shone blue in the bright lights of the room. The hair had been tied into a tight ponytail behind the man's neck. He was dressed in a black suit with a red short and black tie. He was really tall when compared to Katsuya and his shoulders and chest were wider. It was one of the rare moments when Katsuya felt weak in comparison to someone.

"The name is Kajiki Ryouta", the man spoke in a friendly manner, his ocean green eyes bright with mirth. Katsuya thought he had heard his father mention a man named Kajiki a couple of times when he had talked about work at home. Katsuya remembered that his father's tone had not been hostile so he did not really resist the thought of his friend dancing with the man, if she wished to. Katsuya turned to look at Anzu to see how she felt about the matter.

"Oh, can I Jou-kun?" Anzu immediately questioned, her tone of voice openly excited. Katsuya smiled at the girl and nodded his head before saying: "Go right ahead. It's not like you are my girlfriend or that I decide what you can or can't do."

"Thanks, Jou-kun", Anzu said sincerely as she took Kajiki's arm. "You are the best." The girl then looked at Kajiki in the eye and a soft dusty blush appeared on her cheeks. Kajiki gave her a charming smile before winking at Katsuya and leading the girl off. Katsuya looked after the pair with a smile. That Kajiki seemed like a really cool guy. He did not think he minded that the older man temporarily stole his date.

Katsuya was snapped back into his own position when an all too familiar voice drawled in an all too satisfied manner: "Hello, Katsuya."

The blond quickly whirled around and pointed at Seto, yes it was him, dramatically as he hissed: "Kaiba! Are you stalking me?"

The brunet lowered Katsuya's hand with one of his own but removed his grip immediately afterwards, probably because of Katsuya's angry glare. Seto's expression was completely neutral as he spoke: "No, I am merely here with my father." The brunet released a bored sigh. "He insists that there should be girls here that are worthy of my interest." Suddenly the brunet gave Katsuya a dashing smile that almost had Katsuya smiling back. The brunet looked at Katsuya with startling intensity as he said: "I am glad to see that there truly is someone here worth my interest, even if they aren't female."

Katsuya could not keep himself from blushing at the brunet's words. In order to safe face Katsuya faked a short laugh before speaking in an equally fake amused tone of voice: "Damn it, Kaiba. When you say things like that I actually think that you might like me."

"But I do like you", Seto shot back instantly before grabbing Katsuya's chin with his right hand. The brunet's expression was one of hunger as he whispered in a husky tone of voice: "I can't take it anymore. I must have you." And with that the brunet leaned in.

"Whoa, wait up, Kaiba!" Katsuya exclaimed as he pressed his palm against Seto's chest to keep the brunet at bay. "There are people here. Everyone will see." When it was apparent that Seto did not care who was present or saw Katsuya thrust his free hand into a bucket of ice that was stationed on the table next to him. " Ah!" The blond quickly dropped the ice inside Seto's shirt.

The effect was instant. Seto jumped away from Katsuya with a strangled sound that was a mix between a gasp and a yelp. The brunet was forced to pull his shirt out of his pants in order to allow the ice cube drop on the floor. After that the teen shoved his shirt back into his pants before anyone could see him like that.

The glare Seto directed at Katsuya was not very friendly and Katsuya felt rather sorry about using such extreme measures towards Seto. I was not like he had ever needed to fight Seto off him, but then again, Seto never did back down simply because Katsuya insisted it.

"You could have just said no", Seto growled in distaste as he pressed his fingers to his suit jacket, apparently testing it for moisture. That was the first time that Katsuya noticed that Seto was wearing all white, not counting his pale blue tie. It was a peculiar look but Katsuya decided that Seto pulled it off without any troubles.

Snapping out his white-Seto-induced daze Katsuya shook his head before shooting at the brunet in front of him: "You mean you would have actually listened to my refusal?"

There was a curt paused from Seto before the brunet confessed: "No." It was said with no shame at all and Katsuya actually admired the other teen for the amount of guts that the brunet seemed to have.

"Was there anything else or did you just come here to harass me?" Katsuya asked from the brunet and at Seto's indignant look instantly added: "You were harassing me. Don't try to deny it."

With a sigh Seto seemed to give up the fight, not deeming it worth it to argue with Katsuya about the matter. Instead the brunet spoke out: "I was wondering if you would like to dance with me."

"When all these people will see us? No way", Katsuya replied instantly, without the slightest hesitation. Seto gave him a calculating look before questioning: "So if it's just you and me, then it's okay?"

"That is not the point!" Katsuya snapped heatedly. He did not want to be so close to Seto ever again. The contact from only moments ago had filled the blond with such longing that it was almost unbearable. Even now Katsuya was itching to simply throw himself into the other teen's strong arms and just be weak for a moment. But that would have been girly, as much as that statement would have angered Anzu. So, Katsuya continued to glare at Seto until he was satisfied that the brunet knew to stay back.

"Fine", Seto spoke in a bored manner, like he considered Katsuya's attitude to be childish. The blond flushed in anger at the dismissive reaction but stayed quiet when Seto started to speak: "I actually have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" Katsuya drawled sceptically, feeling extremely suspicious of any possible proposition that Seto might have for him. The brunet's exact motives might have been a mystery to Katsuya but the blond knew very well what Seto would ask in return.

"I won't go out with you", Katsuya insisted coldly, glaring at Seto once again. The brunet lifted an eyebrow at him as he said: "Don't say that until you hear what I have to say."

"Alright then", Katsuya grunted with distaste. "Out with it."

"I'll have you know that I'm on first name basis with Yami", Seto started and when Katsuya gave him a confused look he continued: "Yugi likes him, doesn't he?"

Katsuya's glare instantly became defensive as protectiveness over his friend took over. He would not have Seto harm Yugi in any way and made sure the other knew this by growling: "Keep Yugi out of this."

"You're the one who first told me about it", Seto shot back. "I was just going to tell you that Yami is actually starting to warm up to the little guy."

Not sure if he should trust the scheming brunet Katsuya questioned: "Are you sure you're not just saying that in order to get on my good side?"

"Yes", Seto said with a curt nod. "And I will prove it by helping you get the two together."

"And let me guess…" Katsuya started with a deep frown on his face. "You want a date in return for this help, don't you?"

"Not necessarily", Seto replied. "It depends on whether or not you will be willing to go out with me by then."

A moment of silence followed, during which Katsuya contemplated about the offer. Finally the blond decided that it might just be worth the shot and spoke: "Okay. Find out what kind of hobbies Otomya has or what kinds of activities he might participate in. If it turns out to be a club of some sort then Yugi will be able to spend more time with him there."

"I'll do that", Seto said with a nod. "For you, I will make sure he joins into an after school activity that Yugi can also participate in."

When Seto said he would do all that for Katsuya the blond felt himself blush once more. How did Seto know the exact words to use to get Katsuya feel complimented and also extremely flustered? Katsuya managed to nod at the brunet and then speak in a voice that did most certainly **not** sound like a squeak: "Okay then. It's settled."

A piece of paper was then offered to Katsuya and after taking it the blond realized it was a cell phone number. He frowned when he realized that Seto had been planning on giving that particular number to Katsuya during that evening, whatever it took. Which of course lead to the blond realizing that Seto had known that he would be here. Damn that manipulative and conniving bastard.

"Text your number to me some day soon", Seto spoke in a brief command. "That way I will be able to keep you informed on any development on Yami's side."

"Right", Katsuya said with a sigh, tugging the piece of paper away into a pocket. Then he looked at Seto in the eye again. "Thanks a ton, Kaiba."

"Seto", Seto insisted curtly before quickly leaning in to plant a quick kiss on Katsuya's forehead. "See you at school." And with that the brunet walked off, leaving a dazed blond blinking in wonderment at what had just happened.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I'm very happy with how Katsuya's inner monologue turned out in this chapter, especially after Seto's appearance. And for those unfamiliar with all the Japanese names, Ryouta Kajiki is the same guy as Mako Tsunami. I'm pretty sure that pairing is one of the most original ones yet.


	10. Seto's Scheme

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 10**

**Seto's Scheme**

By Monday morning Seto had devised the perfect plan to help Yami and Yugi get together. He was certain that in the process of helping his friend Katsuya would start warming up to him. All he had to do was be patient with the blond and not scare him off. Then, if all went according to plan, there would be two happy couples in the end instead of just one.

"So, Yami, what do you think about school festivals?" Seto questioned from the star-haired teen walking beside him. The two were once again going to school on foot, much to Seto's dismay, even though it did give him a good chance to plot some more.

"I've never participated in them before", Yami confessed. "Why do you ask?"

"The school autumn festival is coming up soon and there will probably be a class meeting someday this week to decide what we are going to do for it", Seto explained. "It would really help you fit in more if you participated."

"I guess", Yami muttered and it was clear from his tone of voice that he was not convinced. Seto decided that a more straightforward approach might have been needed for this and offered slyly: "You know, Yugi always participates in the school festivals, every single year and every single time." It was not exactly true but Yami did not need to know that. All that mattered was that Yugi would be participating this time around, for the single purpose of spending time with Yami.

"Really?" Yami questioned and sounded suddenly a lot more interested than a moment previously. "Then I guess I could… No, I definitely will."

Seto had to turn his face to the side in order to hide the victorious smirk that had appeared on his face without his consent.

&&&&&&&

"The autumn festival is coming soon", Anzu spoke out as soon as she joined the three boys on the walk to school. "As class president I will have to hold a meeting and also lead the preparations. I was wondering if-"

"You were wondering if we would help you out", Jou finished before the girl. "I don't have anything against it but it would be better if you gathered some other people to help out too."

"Of course I will!" Anzu insisted. "I was just thinking that it would be easier to get others to join in too if someone has already volunteered."

"I think that is a good idea, Anzu", Yugi offered, not wanting the girl to get upset. "But, I don't really work good in teams, you know that." To be truthful, Yugi always got shunned whenever he tried to help. People kept telling him that he was useless because of his small stature. In time Yugi had simply given up trying to take part in school festivals.

"I'll help out too", Honda offered then. It was really no surprise, since Honda did pretty much everything with Jou. But Yugi was still unsure. Three pairs of eyes turned to him.

"No one ever wants me in", Yugi mumbled quietly. The argument was quickly overruled when Jou commented cheerily: "No worries, Yugi. With Honda and me there with you, no one will dare say 'no'. Not if they want their faces to stay intact, that it."

"You will not threaten to beat anyone up!" Anzu yelled at the blond, trying to reach out to grab his ear. Jou touched the hand easily, however, and shot back: "I'm not really going to threaten anyone. They simply think that I would do that."

"You'd better not be lying", Anzu grumbled as she turned away from Jou to look at Yugi with a bright smile. "So what do you say, Yugi? We're friends so we will be supporting you."

"I'll think about it", Yugi said, just to get the three off his case. He was actually always embarrassed when he could not do the same stuff other guys did. He always felt so pathetic when compared to the more athletic students that were able to take care of all the heavy lifting for the girls. Yugi, on the other hand, was only good with puzzles. No, he would not take part in the culture festival, no way. During the walk to school Yugi had plenty of time to steel his resolve until he was certain that no amount of persuasion from Anzu could make him change his mind.

&&&&&&&

Katsuya was thoughtful. He did understand that Yugi's bad experiences with class projects but it was rather surprising that Yugi was letting that come in the way of helping his friends. Well, it was not that Anzu necessarily needed Yugi's help if they really could encourage the rest of the class to join in on the autumn festival. Not to mention Yugi had a good point, if the blond was completely honest. He had agreed to help Anzu even though he had no idea what they were going to do. There was nothing Katsuya could do about that now, though, so he might as well help a friend in need.

Noticing that Yugi was being exceptionally quiet that morning, Katsuya came to the conclusion that the small boy preferred to keep to himself, so that he could not be guilt-tripped into helping out after all. Since Yugi could not provide him with a partner for conversation the blond decided to find out more about what Anzu was expecting from him and Honda exactly.

"Hey, Anzu?" Katsuya questioned from the brunette girl, instantly gaining her attention again. "I was wondering, do you have an idea for the school festival yet?"

"No, not really", Anzu confessed and flushed slightly then. "That's what the meeting today will be for: to gather ideas and then decide what we will do."

"When is the festival anyway?" Honda asked then and Anzu replied in a scolding tone of voice: "It's in exactly seven weeks."

"Huh?" the brunet boy blinked in surprise. "Then why are we worrying about all this now? That's almost two months away."

"That time will fly by before you know it", Anzu shot back. "Putting everything together will take a lot of planning and work, which in turn needs a lot of time." The girl waved a finger at Honda. "Last year the whole festival was almost ruined on our class' part because we almost ran out of time."

"So you think we will manage things better if we have more time?" Katsuya questioned and nodded his head when he agreed with the girl's thoughts. "Sure thing. That means we won't have to work our skin off in order to get everything done, no matter what we decide to be our theme."

"I guess it is a decent idea", Honda also commented but Yugi stayed silent, like he was trying to not gain their attention. Yugi was clearly already starting to feel guilty about refusing to help, even though he was convinced that he could not do anything to help.

"Hey, Yugi", Katsuya muttered quietly enough so that their discussion would stay private as Anzu and Honda began to bicker after Honda's rude words to the girl.

Yugi looked up, finally meeting Katsuya's eyes, and the blond gave the smaller teen an encouraging smile and spoke: "It's okay, Yugi. No one is going to force you to take part if you don't want to. You have a right to stay out if you think you can't get along with everyone."

"Thank you, Jou", Yugi mumbled with a soft blush tinting his cheeks. "I'm really grateful of your support." The boy glanced away as his blush darkened. "I was worried that you guys might think less of me if I didn't help out. It's just that, I don't have many nice experiences with working together with my classmates, other than Anzu."

"I figured that much", Katsuya offered in an effort to be understanding. "You're not that hard to figure out sometimes." Those words were accompanied by some laughter, to which Yugi also giggled and then replied: "I didn't know you could be so perceptive, Jou."

"You're simply see-through whenever you're feeling down", Katsuya said. "You can be so melancholic over the simplest of things."

"That's not true", Yugi argued with an angry huff and a glare that made the small boy look cute rather than threatening. "I'm not see-through."

"Right, Yugi", Katsuya said with a playful wink. "You keep telling yourself that and maybe one day I will believe it too." As Yugi huffed again in mock-anger Katsuya snickered to himself. Mission 'make Yugi feel better' was a perfect success.

Katsuya's feeling of satisfaction was short-lived when the blond was snapped out of his thoughts by his cell phone's message ring tone. He instantly pulled out the item and pressed a few button to see who would text him early in the morning. The id revealed the perpetrator to him with a short name: '_Seto_'. Katsuya opened the message to see what the brunet wanted.

'_I convinced Yami that Yugi participates in the class festivals every year'_, the message read and Katsuya grimaced when he realized what the words meant. "Make sure I'm not a liar." A sigh escaped from the blond as he wondered how he should respond. Yugi **hated** class festivals. It would take a miracle to get Yugi to join up in the committee. The blond smirked suddenly when he thought of another course of action. Perhaps they did not need a miracle but simply some creative lying.

"Hey, Yugi", Katsuya spoke out as he turned to Yugi, who was looking at the blond's cell phone curiously. It was clear that the shorter teen was curious about the message but did not want to be as rude as to ask openly about it. Katsuya decided things were better that way and fired his question: "If there was one thing that would make you join the autumn festival committee, what would it be?"

"I have made up my mind and nothing will make me change it", Yugi spoke sternly and surely. A devious smile tugged on Katsuya's lips and the blond spoke mischievously: "Not even if Otomya was in the committee?"

"Well, maybe then", Yugi concluded after a moment's thought. The boy lifted a finger for emphasis as he continued: "But only then." The star-haired boy then shrugged dismissively. "Besides, I don't think these kinds of activities are really Yami's thing."

'Oh, but we can always change that…' Katsuya thought as he began typing a response to Seto's message as quickly as he could press the buttons on his cell.

'_Yugi will agree if Yami does so first. Make it so_.'

'There', Katsuya thought with satisfaction when he sent the message to the brunet. What goes around it comes around. Seto sent the problem to Katsuya to solve and the blond had just sent it back at him. But there was not need for worry; the brunet was smart enough to handle things. That was one of the features Katsuya admired about him.

&&&&&&&

The message Seto got from Katsuya seemed to sneer at him in a manner that told Seto that the brunet would have to work for his date. Well, it should never be said that Seto would back down from any challenge and so Seto dragged Yami into the class meeting before their first lesson. The two sat in the very back of the class and Seto kept his eyes focused on the doorway, so that he would not miss Katsuya's arrival.

It did not take a long time for the blond to come in with his whole lot of friends. All the while chatting happily the three boys of the group sat at the front of the class while the only girl went to stand at the front of the classroom, in front of the blackboard. The girl stood there waiting for the rest of the students to arrive.

"Why aren't you over there trying to woo Jounouchi?" Yami questioned from Seto curiously. The brunet decided to keep his answer vague as he replied: "I realized that I was using a flawed strategy."

"Oh?" came Yami's interested hum. The crimson-eyed teen lifted an eyebrow when he spoke: What clued you to that? Was it the fact that Jounouchi runs off at the mere sight of you or the fact that his mood turns bad whenever you talk to him or simply that he told you he was not going to go out with you more than ten times?"

"Very funny, Yami", Seto growled in a tone of voice that was not amused at all. "I know he feels something for it and I figured that he would confess if I pressed on intently enough. Unfortunately it seems that the harder I try the more he pulls away."

The amused smile Yami gave the brunet had Seto's left eye twitching as the other spoke: "You finally gave up with this useless charade then?"

"Nonsense", Seto snapped defensively. He was never wrong. "I merely decided that a change of tactics was in order."

Yami shrugged then, like Seto's reasons for backing down were meaningless to him, before questioning: "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to give him his space", Seto answered. "I will make him grow used to me until he accepts me."

"Sounds a lot better than your previous plan", Yami offered. "I hope it works out."

The smirk Seto gave his seatmate was an extremely smug one as he spoke out: "That's not my complete plan. It's only the first step of my grand plot."

"Oh?" Yami leaned closer to Seto as he questioned further: "So I'm finally going to see what scheme you have been boasting about all this time? This I got to see."

"You will see it in due time", Seto assured the other, even though he had not intention of pointing out his scheme to Yami. If he did that it might not come to be, since it handled with emotions, those trickiest features of human nature.

Just then the classroom door slid shut and Mazaki started to speak: "Okay. This class meeting's main point will be for us to form an autumn festival committee and also make the base decision on what we will be doing for the festival." The girl really knew how to speak with authority, there was no extra chatter going on in the classroom as she spoke: "I thought that first will be taking suggestions for the theme, so that no one will shy away from joining the committee simply because they have no idea what we are doing. Raise your hands if you have an idea."

First there was no response but when the brunette simply continued to smile encouragingly one of the girls lifted a hand and suggested: "Maybe a fashion show of sorts? Everyone could choose a popular style to imitate and then dress accordingly."

The suggestion got a few groans from the boys but a couple of girls made excited sounds of agreement. Mazaki stayed completely unmoved to one side or another as she simply replied: "That's a good start", and the turned around and wrote on the chalkboard: '_Fashion Show'_. Then she turned back towards the class. "Are there any other suggestions?"

This time a boy lifted a hand and spoke out: "How about a lottery? Everyone could bring something they don't need as a prize. The prizes could vary from really great ones, like mp-players to something simpler, like an eraser set. The prize of the tickets would be so that it would be extremely cheap if one gets a jackpot but then it would be a bit of a loss if they get the worst one."

That suggestion got some more agreeing sounds than the previous ones but another girl piped in: "But what if a guy wins something like a purse? They might complain." There were a few hushed agreements with the girl at that. It would not do for the festival guests to be unsatisfied with their input.

"It's only a suggestion", Mazaki spoke out and effectively silenced the murmurs. "We will think about that if the idea is chosen as our theme." Then the girl wrote down on the board again: _'Lottery'_, before continuing cheerfully: "Anything else?"

"We could do a play", mumbled a girl with bog round glasses on her face. "That way we could get everything we need from the drama club storage. And I'm sure the stage set could be put together in the art class."

"That sounds like the best idea yet", a boy sitting next to the girl commented. "Teachers love that stage arts stuff."

"Alright, so a play is our third option", Mazaki spoke and wrote it down on the board. "Will there be anything more or do we have them here?" When no one lifted an arm again Mazaki shot the glass a beaming smile. "Then we can start voting. Lift your hand to place a vote and remember, no voting twice." The girl walked to the left side of each of the suggestions, to apparently write the amount of votes next to the suggestion. "First off, who will vote for a fashion show?"

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: A bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry about that. I also apologise for the boring chapter. Next time we will be seeing the results of the voting, though I think you all know what the ending result will be.

Also, I have an important message to give: I will be having my matriculation exams coming up and they're really important if I'm planning to get into university. Which I am. Unfortunately this means that updates will be coming slower, or maybe even comepletely stop for the next couple of months. I am dedicated to my stories, but my schooling is lightly more imporant, even if studying isn't as much fun as writing. So, I will update as frequently as I can, even if it isn't all that frequently anymore.


	11. The Script

Ending Notes: This chapter starts from the same POV that the last chapter ended in, meaning Seto's POV, since I had to cut the bit with Seto's POV in half when writing chapters ten and eleven.

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 11**

**The Script**

Mazaki shot the glass a beaming smile. "Then we can start voting. Lift your hand to place a vote and remember, no voting twice." The girl walked to the left side of each of the suggestions, to apparently write the amount of votes next to the suggestion. "First off, who will vote for a fashion show?"

Only three people raised a hand, all of them girls, and Mazaki drew three lines next to the words: 'Fashion Show'. Then the girl prompted: "And how about the lottery?" This time five students lifted a hand, some the lazier ones who clearly did not want to do anything more than dig through they closets for a pair of sunglasses that they never used.

"And how about a play then?" This time a majority of the class raised their hands, even though Seto did not really bother. Yami, on the other hand, raised a hand when he noticed Yugi doing so too. It was pathetic in Seto's opinion, even though he had noticed that Katsuya was playing with a pen instead of voting too.

"I see there is really no need to count the votes", Mazaki said with a cheerful giggle as she then spoke out: "We will be doing a play then. Does anyone have any ideas for a story? And old fairytale or does someone want to write their own script?"

"An original one would probably attract a lot of viewers", the girl with the glasses spoke out. "We simply need someone who would be willing to write the script."

"I know where we can get a script", Yugi spoke out suddenly and Seto, among many others, blinked at the small boy in surprise. It was a very rare thing indeed that Yugi would speak out at a class meeting, least of all without first asking for a permission to speak.

"I have an idea for a script", Yugi repeated even when his cheeks turned red from embarrassment at being stared at so intently. He swallowed, the action clearly visible to anyone watching, and everyone was watching. The boy reached out into his book bag and pulled out a pale blue notebook as he said: "It's right here."

"I have an idea for a script", Yugi repeated even when his cheeks turned red from embarrassment at being stared at so intently. He swallowed, the action clearly visible to anyone watching, and everyone was watching. The boy reached out into his book bag and pulled out a pale blue notebook as he said: "It's right here."

&&&&&&&

Yugi felt a droplet of sweat run down his neck when everyone continued to stare at him in shock. The boy realized that they were probably so amazed because they thought Yugi, the always shy and modest Yugi, was proposing they use his own work. The script Yugi was proposing was not his own and handing it out would the first and last thing he did for the autumn festival

There was movement from Yugi's side and the star-haired boy immediately knew that the teen sitting next to him had recognized the notebook.

"Yugi, what are you doing?" Jou hissed from Yugi's right side. "That's my homework!"

"Jou wrote the script", Yugi declared to the class. "It's really good."

"Really?" Anzu questioned as she walked over to the two boys and took the notebook from Yugi. "I didn't know you wrote, Jou-kun."

"I don't", Jou defended gruffly. "It's my homework for my advanced literature class. We can't use it, though. I haven't finished it yet."

"You can finish it for the play", Anzu assured as she fiddled with the pages of the notebook. "I'm sure your teacher will be happy that we'll be using it."

Jou was not yet convinced, though, and argued quickly: "But our teacher told us to use long and complicated sentences. It sounds horrible... It's like Shakespeare turned Japanese!"

There was a short silence from Anzu, before the girl cheered happily: "That's a brilliant idea, Jou!" The brunette turned away from the two boys and wrote on the board again, all the while muttering what she was writing down: "Japanese Shakespeare..." With that the girl turned back to the class. "What do you guys think?"

"I have nothing against it", Honda spoke from Jou's other side, of course supporting his friends. "After all, if Yugi suggests it…"

"Yea, but would he act in the play?" one boy snapped sceptically suddenly. "So, Mutou? Would you act in this play that you're trying to get us to perform?"

"Of course," Yugi replied with a nod. He always supported his friends and Jou's play was good enough to perform. Yugi would definitely act in it if he was going to join the festival committee and he did not have stage fright. But, since he was not joining, he could say that the stage fright was not problem at the moment.

"Well, if someone as wimpy as Mutou is willing to act in it, it can't be that bad", the sceptical boy said then. "Sure, let's do it."

"Alright then", Mazaki said cheerfully as she handed Jou the blue notebook. "Is there anyone who wants to act or some people who would prefer to work on the set?"

There were not any volunteers and Yugi knew very well that someone would have to speak up first or no one would. But Yugi was not going to join in. No way.

&&&&&&&

"What are you waiting for?" Seto hissed to the star-haired teen sitting next to him. "This is your chance. If you're the first to volunteer that will make you look good in Yugi's opinion."

"Y-you think?" Yami questioned in a startled whisper. At Seto's nod the crimson-eyed youth lifted a hand and spoke out: "I volunteer to the play project."

"Well, if both Mutou and the new guy are willing to go through with this then I volunteer as well", one of the boys spoke out then and immediately afterwards the whole class had agreed to do what they could for the project.

"What do you think about that?" Yami asked from Seto with a huge, self-satisfied grin. Seto only smirked back before saying: "I think you will have a great time working with Yugi. Perhaps you will even get to act some scenes with him."

"That would be simply perfect", Yami said with a happy smile on his face. Seto hummed to himself, very pleased to see his plan in motion.

&&&&&&&

When Yami had spoke up and volunteered to help in the committee Yugi had decided to give on trying to correct his classmates on their assumption of Yugi's part in the project. After all, why correct something that was true? Yugi was not officially a member of the festival committee.

While Yugi was reaching this conclusion Anzu spoke out to Jou: "You draft us a summary of the story and write us a role list for tomorrow, so that we have something to start on. After that we will need copies of the first scenes in order to start practising."

There was a defeated sigh from Jou before the blond exclaimed in annoyance: "Fine, I will write the play!" The blond shoved the notebook inside his back in a small form of rebellion. "But someone else is going to have to direct."

Suddenly Kaiba was standing between Jou's and Yugi's desks. Yugi had no idea how the brunet had moved over to them so fast but his intentions became very clear when he spoke to Jou in a low tone of voice: "My schedule is open. We could discuss the scenes at my place after school, just the two of us."

Jou was clearly uncomfortable with the way Kaiba approached him so openly when the whole class was there to witness it, even. The blond's eyes scanned the class, desperately looking for salvation from the way too straightforward brunet. Yugi saw the brown eyes widen and his friend's expression lighten a moment before Jou exclaimed in a relieved manner: "Bakura! Just the man for the job!" It seemed that Jou had chosen ignoring Kaiba to be the most effective way to get out of the situation. Yugi dared to glance at Kaiba and noticed to his surprise that the brunet did not look as much disappointed as calculating. Yugi was rather unnerved when he noticed that.

Yugi's attention moved away from Kaiba and to Sariko, when the white-haired teen argued loudly: "Why exactly do you think I would agree? What's in it for me?"

"Well, for one it would get you out of that three months long detention with Chouno-sensei", Jou spoke out in a tone of voice that was filled with devious amusement that made Yugi wonder if his friend had been replaced with someone who merely looked the same.

Sariko looked like he was actually considering Jou's offer. Finally the white-haired boy smiled a grin that was all teeth as he spoke out: "Count me in! I always wanted to be in show biz!" Even though everyone knew that Sariko was full of it, no one commented. No one actually seemed to mind that the teen in question had been chosen as the director, either.

"Then we already have something to start from", Anzu spoke out cheerfully. "I will ask around and see which of the teachers will be our supervisor. Perhaps Jou-kun could ask his literature teacher?" The girl looked at the blond in question hopefully at that.

"Sure, sure", Jou mumbled in an annoyed manner. "I'll do that."

"Okay then", Anzu spoke out, seemingly satisfied with Jou's answer. "I think we have everything settled for now. We'll me meeting again tomorrow to decide on the jobs everyone will be taking care of." At that the students began to wander out of the classroom. Yugi stood up and heard Jou speak to Kaiba: "Are you going to take part in the play too, Kaiba?"

"Definitely not", came Kaiba's instant answer. "There is no way I will be playing artist or actor. I would have really enjoyed directing with you by my side, though." Turning around Yugi saw Kaiba leaning closer to Jou and also saw his friend blush a deep red. Kaiba was suddenly showed back, however, as Honda stepped between the tall brunet and the still seated blond.

"Back off, Kaiba", Honda snarled in a hostile manner, protective of Jou for reasons Yugi could not understand. Jou was tough and could take care of himself, so what was there for Honda to worry about?

"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" Kaiba spoke in a low and dangerous tone of voice. "I could crush you if I wished to."

"Then why don't you?" Honda challenged the other brunet and Yugi worried his lip in anticipation. Hopefully there would not be a fight breaking out in the next moment. When Kaiba stepped forward, pushing Honda back with his frame, Yugi saw wild anger flash in his friend's eyes even as Kaiba continued to speak: "Because Katsuya wouldn't be very happy with me if I broke your bones." The blue-eyed brunet turned his attention to Jou again. "I'll see you around, Katsuya."

"Whatever", Jou grumbled in response but Yugi noticed that the blond's tone did not contain any malice for once. Kaiba flashed Jou a brief smile before heading towards the classroom door. Yugi wondered if something had happened between those two that Yugi did not know about. The small boy forgot all about Jou's peculiar behaviour, however, when Yami flashed his a smile and waved at him from his place walking next to Kaiba. Yugi smiled widely and waved back. A deep blush spread on his face when he saw Yami's smile widen the moment before Kaiba yanked him out of the classroom by the back of his school jacket.

&&&&&&&

"This is perfect!" Yami exclaimed when he and Seto walked side by side down the school hallways. "I'm going to get to spend all the time I want with Yugi now. Perhaps I can even get him to like me as more than a friend."

"I'm sure you will be able to do that", Seto spoke out and Yami wondered why the brunet was being so optimistic. Once again the crimson-eyed youth pondered about the plan Seto had claimed to having cooked up.

"When will your grand scheme be revealed?" Yami questioned from his companion. "You wre boasting about it before the meeting so what is so brilliant about it?"

"The brilliance is in how no one will see it until it has reached its end", Seto spoke out with a smug smirk on his face. "So far it has been going on great."

"Really?" Yami questioned in confusion as he scratched his head. "I haven't seen any change in the situation between you and Jou."

It was with great fascination and expectance that Yami observed Seto dig out his cell phone. The brunet pressed a few buttons before showing the screen of the cell to Yami. At first Yami realized that it was the phone's number list. Then he noticed the name above the number.

"You have Jounouchi's number?" Yami questioned incredulously as he lifted his gaze to Seto's face. The brunet's smirk had now turned into a very self-satisfied grin. Yami started at the screen in confusion, finally managing to voice his question: "When did that happen?"

"Over the weekend", Seto replied simply before putting his phone away. It was clear that the brunet was fighting back laughter with the way his grin widened and grew smaller over and over again.

"You're being really smug about that," Yami pointed out, barely able to contain his jealousy. He did not have Yugi's number. **Why** did he not haven Yugi's number when Seto had Jounouchi's?

"Of course I am", Seto said and finally released a chuckle that was long due. "He gave it to me himself, after all."

"How the heck did you manage that?" Yami asked. It was simply impossible. How could Seto get Jounouchi to open up to him enough to hand out his cell phone number to the brunet? Had Seto drugged the poor boy or something?

"Unless you didn't know yet, I am the master of persuasion", Seto spoke out in a very pleased tone of voice. "Want me to ask him for Yugi's number too?"

"No", Yami snapped heatedly, even though inwardly he wanted to say yes. No matter how deeply Yami wished to simply have the chance to call Yugi if he wished to, not that he would ever dare to actually call, he did not want to owe anything to Seto. The brunet would feel no shame in abusing any debt that Yami might owe him.

"Oh well", Seto said with a shrug, still looking extremely smug like he knew exactly what Yami was thinking. "It's your loss, not mine."

When the two continued on with their walk Yami decided to ask about another thing that was bothering him and so he voiced his question: "When will I get to actually spend time with Yugi?"

"You're such a child", Seto shot back with distaste. "No patience at all." Still, even though the brunet spoke about Yami in such a degrading manner, he still answered the question: "You will get to be with Yugi as much as you want when the project actually starts. You and Yugi will either be acting together or then working on the set. Make sure you get the same job as him or you won't get to be with him."

"Damn, this is so much work", Yami grumbled with displeasure. Honestly, could he not just walk up to whoever they got to orchestrate this thing and then ask them to make sure he got stuck with Yugi. Or rather, Yugi got stuck with him because he certainly would not call ending up with Yugi as getting stuck with the younger boy.

"Come on now", Seto spoke then, his voice amused. It was probably because of the brooding expression on Yami's face. "There is not easy way to love so just grin and bear it."

"I never thought I would hear you use the word love, least of all when you have company", Yami drawled, simply to say something to dampen the brunet's infuriatingly good mood. It had not effect, however, as Seto simply shrugged before shooting back: "I never thought I would see you pout, so I think we're pretty even."

It was with an angered blush on his face that Yami turned his eyes away from Seto and onto the hallway before them. He was not pouting.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: At first I will inform all of my readers that I am still busy with schoolwork so the next chapter is probably going to take about a month to appear. It shouldn't take much longer than that, though.

On a different note, I will be posting a valentines special for Valentines Day. It will be called: "If You Want Him, Stalk Him" and the main characters are going to be Yami and Seto and here's a brief summary: Seto challenges Yami in the Domino High's Valentines Challenge to find the perfect presents for Jou and Yugi. It sounds simple enough but unfortunately neither Seto nor Yami know much about being romantic.


	12. Finally Getting To The Point

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 12**

**Finally Getting To The Point**

"Okay, then", Anzu started, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. They had once again gathered into a classroom, this time to decide who was going to do what for the play. The brown-haired girl was standing in the front of the class with Jou sitting on top of the teacher's desk behind her. The blond was looking through the blue notebook where the play was and Yugi guessed that the assignment was due to be returned to a teacher soon.

"So, Jou-kun has been doing a lot for our project", Anzu spoke again, petting the blond head beside her and gaining a grimace from the boy and a couple of snickers from the gathered students. "He actually got Haru-sensei to supervise our play and he also has the first half of the play written." The girl took out a pile of papers. "I have taken copies of the first couple of scenes and also the list of the parts in the play. You can all take a look now." With that the brunette started handing out the piles of papers.

As Yugi read through the summary on the first page, Yugi had to wonder if Jou could ready go through with writing a play like this one. It was a story about two princess sisters in love with the same prince who was engaged to the older one of the two siblings. The impression Yugi got from the plot was that the younger sister was the bad guy of the story, trying to take her sister's place.

"The teacher's are going to love this", Honda commented from beside Yugi. There was a groan from Jou, followed by the blond grumbling: "I know."

Yugi could not stop himself from giggling at how Jou seemed to be absolutely devastated by his own work, even though it seemed good. Perhaps the negative side of the thing was that the plot was probably the most un-Jou-like that there was. No wonder Jou did not want to write this, let alone have it played. It went against everything the blond was.

"Stop being such a drama queen", Anzu told the brunet before turning to the rest of the class. "So, are we going to get enough people signing up for the tryouts?"

There were some mutters from the girls, mostly about how none of them wanted to be the 'bad sister'. Some guys agreed to play guards but the part of the prince did not seem to appeal to anyone. The lack of enthusiasm directed at the main parts annoyed Anzu visibly and the girl snapped: "Just learn the dialogue between the prince and the elder princess until Friday. Your performance will determine what part you will get." The girl glared at the assembled students. "But don't even think about acting badly to avoid some of the parts; you just might end up in charge of drawing and closing the curtains."

That threat seemed to be enough to get everyone to stop acting up. All the students who wanted to act, almost half of the group, stuffed their copy of the script into their bag without any further arguments. Anzu beamed at them all as she spoke: "Now that that's settled, everyone come over to the school auditorium this Friday after three o'clock. That's when the tryouts will be held. By Monday I will have put up a list of the parts you are going to be playing next to the homeroom door." The girl pointed at the wall next to the closed door and finished: "It'll be right there."

"What about the sets that we need to make?" one of the girls questioned, the same one who had first suggested that they perform a play. "When will we put together the team to take care of those?"

"I was thinking during lunch break on Friday. Ten minutes before the beginning of the next lesson everyone willing to help will come here into this classroom. I'll put together a list of who will volunteer and to do what. We will need help with both the building and the painting of the set."

Yugi was rather impressed by the way Anzu directed the whole class. Every one even seemed to be listening to the brunette. Yugi could very well imagine the girl in some kind of instructing job in the future.

"Do you think you can get the play completely written within the next week?" Anzu questioned from Jou. The blond released a put on sigh before replying: "It has to be done by next Monday. That's when it's due for my literature class."

"I'll be putting my faith in you then", Anzu said in a cheerful manner. It was surprising that for once the girl was not being doubtful of Jou getting a job done properly.

&&&&&&&

"This is so frustrating", Anzu sighed as the group walked home from school later that day. "Those annoying little harpies! None of them wants to play the part of the younger princess. How childish can you get?"

"It's only natural that no girl would like to play the bad guy", Honda commented in a supporting manner, followed by Yugi adding: "I wouldn't want to be the villain in a play either."

"Who said the younger sister is the villain?" Jou spoke out then, with a wide grin on his face. The blond did not elaborate the matter and merely grinned at them in amusement, like he was thinking about some very amusing joke.

"It definitely seems like that", Yugi spoke to his blond-haired friend. "I mean, she's trying to break those other two apart!"

"Are you telling me you wouldn't do the same for your beloved?" Jou questioned and Yugi quieted down, actually thinking about the matter. It was true. Yugi would at least think about fighting for Yami if someone else was after the handsome teen. Half of the girls in the class were, actually, but none of them was making any real progress. Jou had actually said earlier the previous week that Yami would definitely be gay to reject so many pretty girls, adding immediately afterwards that it increased Yugi's chances with the new student greatly.

"Even so, those girls still annoy me!" Anzu snapped. "They are so vain and shallow and it annoys me!" The brunette growled angrily as she vented out her anger. All three boys decided to let the girl do this, since it seemed to mean so much to her.

"So, are any of you going to be trying out for a part?" Jou asked then, lifting his eyebrows curiously. The first one to answer the question was Anzu, who said: "I was actually thinking about taking part in the making of the stage sets. That way I can make sure that they get done."

"I was thinking about trying for a part", Honda admitted. "I don't think I'm good enough to make it as the prince, though. I mean, that's the main male part."

"I will probably do that too", Yugi confessed, thinking that Yami might also try to act in the play. "I'll probably only get some minor part, though." Yugi grimaced as he thought of the options, voicing one of them: "I'll probably end up as 'maid B' or something like that."

"Well, you would make a very pretty maid", Jou spoke out in a comforting manner. The blond broke out into chuckles, however, when Yugi blushed deep red from embarrassment. The small boy turned to the taller teen and exclaimed indignantly: "Jou!"

"Sorry", the blond managed to say between his laughter. "But anyone would admit it was true, though. A frilly French maid dress would suit you pretty well."

"He's got a point there", Honda added and Yugi gasped in disbelief, turning to stare at the brunet boy. His attention turned elsewhere, however, when Anzu also spoke out: "You do have the figure for it. And your face is pretty."

"You too Anzu?" Yugi questioned in a hurt whine. "I can't believe that you of all people would betray me like this!" Why was everyone teaming up against him like this?

"Aw, you know we didn't mean anything bad by it", Jou spoke as he put his arm around Yugi's shoulders. "We were just messing with you." Yugi pouted at the blond, who winked at him before adding: "We just wanted you to feel more confident in your looks. Yami doesn't stand a chance if he is a sucker for a cute face. Which I believe he just might be."

Releasing a sigh Yugi allowed his blond-haired friend pull him next to him as the group made its way towards the Game Shop. They were planning on doing their homework in Yugi's living room before heading out into the town. They would most-likely go to the arcade. That was the usual place they went to.

&&&&&&&

"It actually has me curious", Yami started as he waited for Seto to take his books from his locker. "Why didn't you take part in the play? It would have been the perfect chance to spend more time with Jounouchi."

"Because he expected me to do that", Seto replied, closing the locker door. He then turned to his shorter companion and continued: "I'm planning on catching him off-guard."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Yami questioned. "And why go through so much trouble anyway?"

"How I'm planning on doing it is still a secret", Seto started with a smirk tugging on his lips. "But as for 'why', it's for the sole purpose of making Katsuya realize just how serious I am about this. He's doubtful of my motives so I'm planning on going all out on this in order to make him understand."

"If your plan wasn't so devious I might almost call you romantic", Yami said in an amused manner. "But now, I'm just going to settle for obsessive."

"Try possessive and we will be on the same page", Seto shot back. "I will not lose Katsuya to anyone and to make sure he doesn't walk away on me I'll make sure to do things for him that no one else would."

"Now that actually sounded romantic", Yami concluded, chuckling to himself. There was no further comment from Seto and Yami decided that the brunet had now closed the topic. It did not really matter much, Yami had gotten his questions answered , save for the single one that the brunet had outright refused to answer.

"You think I might stand a chance at getting a part in the play?" Yami questioned then. Seto glanced at him briefly before speaking: "I don't know. I haven't seen you act. Are you any good?"

"I don't know", Yami confessed with a shrug. "I've never really acted in a play before." Such things had never been his thing back in his previous school. His former classmates' eyes would have bulged out of their sockets from shock if they had heard that Yami was planning on acting in a play in order to get closer to his crush.

"We will have to hope that you're a natural, then", Seto grumbled in a tone of voice that told Yami that the brunet did not have much faith in him at the moment. Yami would not let that get him down, however.

"You're just going to have to help me practise for the tryouts", Yami spoke in an overly cheerful voice and smiled widely even as Seto's head snapped in his direction, the blue eyes staring at him in outrage.

"Excuse me?" the brunet hissed incredulously. "I must have heard wrong."

"I'm sure you heard me just right", Yami spoke calmly. "I need you to help me practise my lines for the tryouts next Friday. I can't learn a dialogue on my own. It would be easier if it was just a monologue but there is actual interaction in these scenes."

"I will not play a female part", Seto growled defensively and Yami could hear from the way the brunet slurred that he was gritting his teeth.

Knowing that he was stumbling on thin ice Yami attempted to use the only weakness he knew the brunet to have and spoke: "You know, I don't think Jounouchi will be very happy with you if the only reason I make a joke of the tryouts for **his**play is because **you** wouldn't practise with me."

"What makes you think Yugi will be trying for a part in the play?" Seto questioned, figuring out the reason Yami wanted to act so much. He turned confident again as he continued: "He's very shy so he's probably going to stick to stage designing."

"Because Yugi hates picture arts", Yami shot back. When Seto blinked at him in surprise Yami grinned in a very self-satisfied manner at being the one to cause that look before elaborating: "I have art class with him and I kept a close eye on him to see if I might use those lessons to get closer to him. He looked rather annoyed and when I asked him about it, he told me that he hated to paint and just about everything else they did in art class." Yami was actually very smug about finding out something like that about Yugi and, judging from the way Seto nodded his head in understanding, the brunet was rather impressed by the accomplishment. That, of course, made the satisfaction even greater for Yami.

&&&&&&&

"Who is going to decide who gets what parts?" Honda asked as the group was making their way towards the arcade. It was a good question and despite his former displeasure towards their difficult math homework, Katsuya also turned to look at Anzu curiously and questioned: "Yea, who?"

"I was thinking about a small jury", Anzu replied. "It would consist of three people. I would be there because I seem to have become the unofficial leader of the class-"

"That's because you're the class president", Honda interrupted, but quieted down instantly at the glare Anzu sent him.

"At any matter", Anzu started snappily, clearly not pleased by the interruption, and kept her eyes focused on Honda sideways as she continued: "There is also going to be Jou-kun, since he's the writer and Sariko-kun, since he's the director." Katsuya was actually really glad that they had asked Anzu about that. The brunette had not told him about him having to judge how well his classmates acted.

"What ever possessed you to choose Bakura?" Honda asked from Katsuya then. The question was supported by Yugi's saying: "I'm also curious to know what you were thinking about."

"I was thinking that I need to get away from Kaiba", Katsuya replied with a huff. "At that moment, even Bakura seemed like a better option than him."

"You really are trying to avoid him then?" Anzu queried. Katsuya shot her a brief glare before drawling in a sarcastic tone of voice: "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I have to wonder, though, why he hasn't given up yet?" Honda commented. "I mean, Jou has outright rejected him plenty of times. One would think he would have gotten the hint already."

"Kaiba-kun just doesn't like to lose", Anzu spoke out in a knowing tone of voice. "His pride won't let him accept a defeat, no matter how difficult victory seems." The brunette gave Katsuya a sympathetic look. "You might be stuck with him for quite some time."

"I think I will survive", Katsuya mumbled offhandedly. He really wanted to change the topic already and, as he thought about a possible comment to accomplish that, he thought about the call he had gotten the previous day after school. It gave him and idea.

"Shizuka gave me a call yesterday", Katsuya started, instantly gaining everyone's attention. Honda seemed to be especially interested and Katsuya might have hit the brunet if he was not interested. He was supposed to be dating the girl in question, after all.

"What did you two talk about?" Yugi asked in a supportive manner and Katsuya smiled widely at the answer before giving it: "She wants me to visit her next weekend." The blond looked at his friends. "You could all come along. Shizuka would definitely like to see you again." He glanced at Yugi. "Or, in Yugi's case, meet you."

"I don't see why not", Anzu spoke after a moment's thought, accompanied by Honda cheering: "Count me in!"

"I wouldn't mind it either", Yugi said. "Will we be going by bus or should I ask my grandpa if he could give us a lift?"

"No need for that, Yugi", Katsuya said with a wave of his hand. "Mai is also coming along. She'll give us all a lift."

"Mai is that older friend of yours, right?" Anzu questioned, looking between Honda and Katsuya. "The one who taught Jou-kun to dress in drag?"

"Please, just call it cross dressing", Katsuya hissed at the girl before releasing a huff. "Honestly, one would think that you of all people would not use such words, Anzu."

"It's not that bad of a word", Anzu defended with a shrug. "Besides, I'm sure your ears won't be tainted by any language I might use."

"No, not my ears", Katsuya confessed with a wide grin. "But Yugi's might." At that he pointed at the short boy standing next to him. The hand was slapped away by Yugi himself, who whined: "Jou! I'm not that innocent!" The boy paused then. "Am I?"

"Even if you were it's not like it would be a bad thing", Honda comforted the star-haired teen. Then he pointed farther down the street. "I spot the arcade!"

"Thank you, Honda", Katsuya drawled in an amused manner. "We almost walked right past that big sign that is taller than three Yugis."

"I recent that!" came Yugi's argument from somewhere around Katsuya's elbow. The blond simply shrugged before saying: "Fine then. Let's just say that it's tall enough to be considered a landmark."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: An old face is going to make a new appearance in the next chapter. Try to guess who is going to be making a cameo!


	13. Tryouts And a Knockout

Author's Notes: A warning to you people: This chapter contains potty mouth-ness.

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 13**

**Tryouts And a Knockout**

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Anzu cheered at Katsuya and Bakura after the tryouts. Both boys looked at her incredulously and the brunette actually blushed faintly at the loud disagreement displayed in the twin expressions.

"Okay, then, so it was bad", Anzu concluded with a light giggle. "But hey, at least they didn't all suck."

"Yea, I guess", Katsuya grumbled but Bakura merely scoffed wordlessly. "It's not going to be that hard to decide on the parts since there were only a handful of people who could actually act."

"Why didn't Haru-sensei join us?" Bakura questioned, actually speaking out. "She's the supervising teacher, right?"

"She will only be there to watch our practise and when we work on the stage set. We have to do everything ourselves but Haru-sensei will make sure nothing goes out of hand."

"So, who do you guys think fits the role of the prince?" Katsuya questioned then and Bakura immediately answered: "The only guys who did well were that new kid Otomya and your pall Mutou." The white-haired teen grimaced. "So I guess you two will be picking your friend."

"I think the part would suit Otomya-kun better", Anzu spoke out and Katsuya actually agreed, nodding his head to show it. "But as for the older princess…"

"No", Katsuya interrupted, already knowing what Anzu was getting at. "We are not giving that part to Yugi."

"Why not?" Anzu huffed angrily. "This is the perfect chance to set him and Otomya-kun up."

"Wait a minute", Bakura interrupted. "Did I just hear right?"

"Yes", Katsuya answered quickly and immediately ignored the other male as he focused on Anzu again. "We can't give that part to Yugi. Everyone will blame us for favouritism since almost every girl in the class wants that part."

There was a displeased sigh from Anzu, followed by the girl grumbling: "You're right." She looked Katsuya in the eye again. "Who do you suggest?"

"Sakuraba Misa", Katsuya answered. "She was the only girl who didn't overact. She was actually very good so it would be wrong not to give her the part."

"Misa?" Anzu exclaimed in outrage. "But she's an annoying bit-"

"Wow!" Bakura exclaimed, cutting Anzu's cuss off. "The class president Mazaki is cursing!"

"Tone it down, Bakura", Katsuya grumbled, even though he was smiling since the white-haired teen had managed to voice out his exact thoughts. "Not the entire school needs to know. We should keep it to ourselves so that we can savour it."

Chuckling merrily Bakura nodded his head in agreement, despite Anzu's murderous glare, and spoke: "I agree on that Sakuraba-chick, though. She may be the most annoying one out there, but she's the only one of this bunch who can act."

"That's because she's a member of the school drama club", Anzu argued. "She's always starring in school productions."

"Then let's take advantage of her skills", Katsuya said deadpan. "So, what about the second princess? Who's going to play her?"

"The only good player left is Yugi", Anzu started. "But we can't possibly give him that part." Katsuya smirked. "No, Jou-kun, we will not do that." Bakura chuckled. "Damn, you two!"

"That's two against one, baby", Bakura taunted in a singsong voice. "Little Mutou is going to be a princess!"

"Don't worry, Anzu", Katsuya said with a wink to the girl. "I know the plot. I'm writing it, remember?"

Slowly, a look of realization came to Anzu's face. The girl gasped out in awe as she questioned: "You actually have a plan?"

"I sure do", Katsuya replied with a wide grin. "Nothing too grand, though. Just a simple change to the ending and that'll be that."

"Oh, Jou-kun, I love you so much right now", Anzu spoke out in admiration. It was alarming really how impressed that girl could be by acts of friendship, no matter how vile they in truth were. The brunette sighed dreamily as she apparently already imagined Yugi and Yami's wedding in her mind, and then finished: "If you weren't gay I would so kiss you right now."

"Hey!" Katsuya shouted out in disdain. "I never said I was gay, damn it!"

"You have to be straight", Bakura joined the conversation and Katsuya and Anzu both turned surprised looks in the white-haired teen's direction. "I mean, if you were gay then there was no way you would have rejected me."

"Yea…" Katsuya drawled slowly. "You keep telling yourself that." He really hoped that Anzu would not start making comments about some kind of a new sexuality known as being Seto-sexual or something along those lines. Katsuya would never live it down.

"I definitely will", Bakura agreed wholeheartedly. "It keeps me from losing any of my self-confidence."

"In my opinion, you could actually afford to lose some", Anzu grumbled and Katsuya snickered before adding: "Sorry, Anzu, but I don't think that's possible. Bakura's ego is shrink-resistant."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bakura questioned angrily and Katsuya replied simply: "It means that nothing can push you off your high horse."

The conversation stopped there, or at least that was what Katsuya thought until they all got up to leave after making the decisions for all the minor parts. Anzu was the first one out through the auditorium doors and before Katsuya could follow her, he was stopped by a hand on his arm. Confused, he turned to Bakura.

"You know", the white-haired teen started, and actually did not seem to be insane or cocky for once. "My ego did get a rather nasty bruise when you rejected me."

A moment of silence followed, ended by Katsuya saying: "You're not getting a pity fuck."

"Damn."

&&&&&&&

"So, what would you like to do first?" Katsuya questioned from Shizuka when they left Ayami's house. Shizuka had actually been more than simply happy to see Honda, Mai and Anzu again and had loved getting to meet Yugi. She had said that it was so nice that Katsuya was making more friends, something that had left the blond in question so flustered that he had forgotten all about hitting Honda for the enthusiastic greeting kiss he and Shizuka had shared a second after the girl had opened the door.

Shizuka's hair now reached her shoulders and it was completely blond, not counting the roots. It would take a while for the girl to have grown back her own red hair.

"You guys are really going to let me decide?" Shizuka asked incredulously as they walked down the street. Katsuya had suggested that they walk so that they could properly talk and look around, and also because Mai was new in this town and would probably not know where to drive. There was also a third reason which Katsuya had not voiced: there had not been enough room in the car for an extra person and the blond did not want to witness his sweet little sister sitting in Honda's lap as she would have probably done.

"Sure thing, Shizuka", Katsuya said to the excited girl. "We don't really know the place that well so you are the only one who knows where we could hang out."

"You spent two weeks here", Anzu commented then, directing her words towards Katsuya. "Surely you've visited some places here too?"

"Sure, but none of them we really something we could go to", Katsuya mumbled and felt his cheeks heat up. "I mean, unless you guys like classical dancing, there is this nice club that opens at six."

"Yea, and we're halfway home by that time", Honda grumbled. "Not to mention I can't dance like that."

"Where else did Kaiba take you?" Mai questioned, stepping right next to Katsuya. The blond blinked at her in surprise before shooting back: "What makes you think Kaiba took me there?"

"Because you went out with him", Mai replied simply. She then smiled very smugly before adding: "And that is why you can't suggest anything. Because you've only gone to places where people go on dates."

"We went to the movies too", Katsuya grumbled with a scowl on his face. It seemed that the expression did not look like that to Mai, since the woman patted him on the shoulder before saying: "Oh, stop pouting you big drama queen." When Katsuya shot the woman an outraged glare she only smirked at him and finished: "Honestly, you have to be gay with all those dramatics you pull."

"Mai!" Katsuya exclaimed, certain that his face was beet red now. "Watch your tongue around my sister!"

"It's okay, big brother", Shizuka spoke out. "It's obvious you don't prefer girls when you have so many girls as friends as to offer them as dates for a ball when I was posing as you." The former red-head giggled then, most likely at the scandalized expression on Katsuya's face. "It's okay, Katsuya. I'm fine with it."

"Um… Good to hear?" Katsuya offered a bit unsurely. How was it that everyone made assumptions about his orientation when he had not really given any hints on it? Well, it might have had something to do with the way he always reacted to Seto's flirting but that was only a maybe.

"I think a movie sounds good", Yugi spoke out then and Katsuya could have almost kissed the smaller teen for the distraction. Except he did not, because he had Seto and Yugi had Yami. It would really mess things up, not to mention be very weird.

"Yea, let's go watch a movie!" Katsuya cheered and was relieved when he got agreeing cheers from Honda and Anzu. Shizuka nodded her head enthusiastically. Finally Mai shrugged and was the last one to agree with: "Sure. What the heck."

&&&&&&&

The movie was decent, at least. The girls were not really all that impressed with the lack of plot in the movie but for Honda and Katsuya the action sequences made up for the lack of point. In the end, as the group was walking out of the theatre and through the foyer, Yugi finally sided with Honda and Katsuya, saying that the special effects were really impressive in his opinion.

"That's three versus three", Honda commented with a thoughtful look on his face. "That means that we can't make any conclusive views on how good the movie was in the end."

"You seem to forget that all the opinions siding with the notion that the movie was good were male views", Mai, the passionate feminist, pointed out. "What does this tell us?"

"Uh… Should it even tell us something?" Honda questioned back. Mai rolled her eyes before snapping: "It means that guys settle for stories of lower quality as long as they get mindless action of computer effects."

"Or, it means that girls only really like some stupid art films", Honda shot back. "Honestly, it's always goes like this. Girls are never happy unless they get to view some life-changing feature and trust me; there aren't many of those around."

"That's sexist and you know it", Anzu grunted, crossing her arms. "Not to mention extremely exaggerated. There is nothing wrong with wanting to watch a movie with an actual _point_ to it."

"The movie didn't really have a story to it", Yugi joined in, immediately getting a pointed look from Honda as the brunet muttered: "Traitor."

A giggle came from Shizuka, followed by the girl saying: "As much fun as this is, I feel up to having something to eat."

"Me too", Katsuya agreed wholeheartedly. "I feel like eating three hamburgers."

"Yeah!" Yugi cheered. "Hamburgers!"

"I guess we could all go eat", Honda agreed as well and Katsuya looked over at Mai and Anzu to see them nod their heads in agreement.

Shizuka seemed very pleased with the new situation and spoke: "I know the perfect place and it's really close by too." With that the girl started to lea the way out of the theatre building.

The group did not get to walk far when Katsuya was forced to step aside when someone pushed his way over to Shizuka, stopping the girl from walking and causing the entire group to stop in their places.

Katsuya had been startled when someone had suddenly come up in front of him but that surprise was nothing compared to the one he felt when he got a good look at the male in question.

There was really no mistaking the silky black locks and emerald green eyes as Katsuya recognized Otogi Ryuuji the very moment he saw the new arrival's face. Katsuya had not been very fond of the teen ever since they had met but now the jerk was clutching onto Shizuka's hand and stared at the girl in open admiration.

"Shizuka-chan! What a joy it is to see you again!" Otogi sighed dreamily as he leaned closer to the girl. "That is certainly an interesting style you have chosen but I could still recognize that wonderful shade of red which is your hair."

Whatever Otogi was going to say after those words was cut off when Honda stepped up next to Shizuka and growled out: "Hands off her unless you want your face rearranged."

Otogi actually backed away a step when he was faced with the murderous look in Honda's eyes. The raven-haired teen released a nervous laugh as he uttered: "Oh, is she our girlfriend?" He glanced at Shizuka again and his eyes widened slightly. "Eh…" His eyes came back to meet Honda's own as he lifted his hands in surrender. "It seems I was mistaken. I mistook her fir someone else. Ah, please don't bruise me."

"I wouldn't really be worried about me", Honda spoke in a low tone of voice. "I would worry about her sibling that is pretty close to clobbering you right now."

It was only when Honda had spoken those words that Katsuya became aware of how murderous he must have been looking at that moment. He was, after all, rather close to boiling in his anger. Reminding himself to give Honda a good pat in the back for defending Shizuka later, the blond laid a hand on Otogi's shoulder and turned the unresisting teen to face him.

"That's my sister you were touching, creep", Katsuya spoke in a low and warning tone. "I sure hope you did not bring a girl here with you because I don't think she would appreciate you running off to another girl." That last bit was added in just for spite; Katsuya had not forgotten how easily Otogi dumped one girl for another.

The reaction Katsuya got for his words was not the one he had been looking forward to. Instead of seeing an embarrassed and nervous look come into the green eyes, he was faced with the orbs widening in surprise, awe and, to the blond's own shock, recognition.

"It's you!" Otogi exclaimed and within seconds Katsuya's hand was trapped between the raven-haired teen's own. "My Goddess! I would recognize your face anywhere, my beloved."

"Uh…" Katsuya trailed off uncertainly. Damn, this guy was even more straight-forward than Seto… Hmm…Seto certainly had softer hands than Otogi, though. Or then Katsuya's opinion was biased.

Forcing those distracting thoughts out of the way Katsuya finally managed to utter: "I'm a guy." The statement did not have any particular tone accompanying it, nor was Katsuya able to reinforce his venomous glare, so the words came out in a toneless, startled manner.

Blinking at Katsuya briefly Otogi then looked the blond up and down. The black eyebrows arched in a comical manner before the teen grumbled: "So it seems…" He then met Katsuya's gaze again, and was actually grinning widely, something that had the blond suspicious. And it seemed that Katsuya's instincts were right when the raven-haired teen spoke cheerfully: "I must say that you are the most beautiful man I've seen, beside me of course."

It was what could have been called the final straw. Katsuya's eyebrow twitched, the only warning the blond gave, a moment before he drew his fist back and punched Otogi right across his face. Not staying by to see the raven-haired teen collapse on the floor Katsuya stomped past the other boy while calling over his shoulder to his friends: "Are we going or what?"

There were scurrying footsteps from behind Katsuya a moment before his friends were walking beside his again, Shizuka and Mai rushing to walk right next to him.

"My, Jou", Mai spoke out in an amused manner. "I'm almost jealous of your luck with men. What the heck is your secret?"

"Hell if I knew…" Katsuya grumbled with a heated blush on his cheeks. "I seem to attract all of the freaks."

"That was so cool", Shizuka's voice came from Katsuya's other side and the blond instantly turned his attention to his sister, speaking out sternly: "Thanks. Just don't go around and try to copy that."

"No worries", Shizuka said with a reassuring smiled before turning over to Honda with a giggle. "Hiroto can chase all unwanted suitors away. Won't you, Hiroto?"

"Sure thing, Shizuka", Honda insisted immediately and Katsuya was again one step closer to accepting the coupling his friend and sister made as he commented: "You did a pretty decent job of it back there."

"Wow, thanks, Jou", came Honda's response and Katsuya merely grinned back, a gesture that was immediately returned.

_**To be continued…**_


	14. A Kiss From The Prince

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 14**

**A Kiss From The Prince**

"Did I get a part? Did I get a part?" Yami chanted as he went through the list placed on the wall. Seto stood behind the star-haired teen, rolling his eyes at the foolishness of it all. Still, as long as everything went according to plan, Yami could act as childishly as he wished.

"I did, I did get a part!" Yami exclaimed suddenly and Seto stepped up next to the shorter teen to peer at the piece of paper. Indeed, Yami's name was in the list, and placed there as the prince, no less. And Yugi was…

"Yugi is the younger princess", Yami spoke out, his tone first cheerful but then suddenly dulling when he remembered exactly what part that was. "Yugi is the younger princess." The repeat was completely colored by a disappointed tone.

"Of course", Seto pointed out with a roll of his eyes. "With so many girls wanting the part of the older princess, there would be a lot of arguing if the part was given to a boy. Everyone would think that Yugi got the part because he is friends with Mazaki and Katsuya." Seto looked at Yami in the eye then. "Did you honestly think they were going to give him that part?"

"Well, he was one of the best ones in my opinion", Yami spoke, crossing his arms. "Better than all of the girls at any matter."

"Even if so, that doesn't change the fact that jealous people would not claim the decision to be unfair", Seto pointed out. In his opinion that was the end of the discussion but Yami looked like he was going to argue. But, before the star-haired teen could speak out, a distraught cry cut his words off: "What do you mean you gave me a girl's part? And the bad girl's too?"

Seto and Yami turned as one to see no other than Yugi rushing down the hallway, right towards the list on the wall. As usual, Katsuya was following loyally behind the small boy. When Yugi walked past then not noticing either of them, Katsuya shrugged his shoulders at them before starting to utter soothing words to the back of Yugi's hair. The shorter teen did not seem to hear any of them, though, when he suddenly screamed out in frustration.

"I can't believe you would do this to me?" Yugi growled out as he turned around to face Katsuya. "Even being without a part would have been better than this." And with that the small boy was gone.

Knowing very well that Katsuya was rather dependant on the people close to him, Seto was surprised when the blond did not seem to be bothered by Yugi being upset with him. It actually made the brunet consider the possibility of Katsuya having a plan of sorts.

"Will Yugi be alright?" Yami's worried tone broke Seto out of his thoughts. He watched mutely as Katsuya flashed the crimson-eyed teen a reassuring smile before saying: "No worries. He will thank me later on. The part isn't that bad."

"You should know", Yami spoke in a relieved manner and Katsuya seemed very happy with the care the shorter teen was displaying. Maybe Seto should offer to carry Katsuya's bag for him. If the blond was in a pleasant enough mood to allow it Seto would use that as a way of placing possession on the other teen.

"We should get going to class", Yami said then and started walking down the hall. Seto guessed that his companion wanted to just see Yugi. Still, he did not really have anything against that and so he turned his attention to Katsuya as they started to walk after Yami.

"I could carry your bag for you", Seto offered and got a wide-eyed look from Katsuya in response. The blond blinked at him a couple of times, gaping at him like a fish. Finally the blond seemed to realize that he would have to give Seto a answer and his cheeks reddened in embarrassment at his own lapse as he muttered: "Yeah sure."

It was with great satisfaction that Seto took the dark brown bag offered to him. He placed it in the same hand where he was carrying his own slim suitcase and then brought his free arm around Katsuya's waist.

A startled exclamation was the blond's first reaction to the touch, which was then followed by a splutter that must have been the beginning of a resisting retort. Seto cut the blond off by pulling him against his side and then murmuring softly: "I've been doing a good job so far, haven't I? Surely I deserve a price of sorts."

"Bastard…" grumbled Katsuya in a low voice, but without any apparent malice. It brought a satisfied smirk on Seto's lips as the brunet questioned: "Why do you think Yugi will accept that part?"

"Simple", Katsuya started and Seto was startled to hear a cunning tone to the blond's voice. He turned his eyes to see Katsuya meeting his gaze with a small smirk of his own. The brown eyes twinkled as the shorter teen chuckled before speaking: "The younger princess is the one who gets to kiss the prince."

Lifting an eyebrow Seto actually gave the blond an impressed look as he spoke: "That's actually a decent plant."

"Ingenious, if I do say so myself", Katsuya shot back and grinned playfully. "You thought I was going to let you do all the work and then owe you even more than I do now? Dream on."

A small snort escaped from Seto as the brunet wondered if he could get the blond into a secluded room fast enough for the blond not to have time to resist before he had managed to kiss all the arguments away. He decided against ravishing the blond, however, when the two of them arrived to the classroom door, where Yami was looking at them with his arms crossed and tapping his foot.

"Were you two flirting just now?" the star-haired teen questioned rather incredulously. "Because Seto looks really happy with himself right now."

As soon as those words registered, or then it was the fact that they were being looked at, Katsuya pulled out of Seto's arms and quickly snatched his bag from Seto.

"Thanks, bye!" the blond spoke hurriedly before scurrying past the other two teens into the class. Yami lifted an amused eyebrow at Seto, a look to which Seto responded with an angry glare. Yami had completely killed the moment. And before anyone got the chance to see that Katsuya belonged to Seto, even.

"I hate you so much…" Seto growled as he stomped past Yami and into the class as well. Yami did not seem bothered at all as he spoke in an amused manner: "Yea, yea. Whatever. At least you got to snuggle with him a bit."

'But it's not enough', Seto thought to himself even when he did not speak the words out loud, because that would have been whining. And Kaiba Seto did not whine. Besides, he still had his plan and that plan would assure his place with his arms around Katsuya.

&&&&&&&

Yugi had taken his place in the class as he sat still and fumed silently. Yugi was not really one to express anger openly so he much preferred silent brooding. A couple of more students had come inside but they did not really pay attention to Yugi and so they did not notice his mood, allowing Yugi to continue letting out steam.

The deceiving calm of the short boy was broken when a familiar blond boy rushed into the class. Yugi eyed the blush on Jou's cheeks and decided that his friend must have been spending time with Kaiba and Yugi was not entirely certain that it had been against the blond's will.

"Yugi!" Jou cheered happily when his eyes fell on Yugi. He made his way to the shorter teen and plopped down in the seat beside Yugi's. His tone turned calming as he started to speak: "Yugi, listen. You're better off with that part."

"Why?" Yugi questioned, swallowing his anger when he was interacting with another person. "Please, just say it straight this time around. I'm tired of the riddles."

"Okay, I'll do just that", Jou spoke, sounding cheerful again. "You see, in the entire play there isn't a single scene where the older princess gets to kiss or do much anything else romantic with the prince." The blond winked at Yugi as his finished: "It has, however, a scene where the younger princess gets to kiss the prince."

It took a moment for those words to sink in with Yugi, but when they did the short boy's reaction was instant. He threw himself over the short distance between the chairs and hugged his friend tightly as he cheered: "Oh, Jou, you are the best friend in the entire world!"

Jou's hand came to pet Yugi's head and the star-haired teen hugged his friend for a while longer. That was until the real meaning of the situation sunk in. That was when he let go of Jou and screamed suddenly in terror.

&&&&&&&

"What's wrong with Yugi?" Honda questioned and Anzu shrugged her shoulders before replying: "No idea. He's been like this the entire day."

Katsuya kept his gaze firmly focused on the walls around them as the group sat in the living room in Yugi's house. Yugi himself was sitting in his seat with a blank look on his face. Apparently the short teen was still not over his shock yet. Who would have guessed that the little guy would be so frightened by the mere thought of kissing Otomya?

All in all Yugi's ghastly white complexion, accompanied with the dazed look would have been amusing if it were not for the fact that Anzu and Honda were going to realize that Katsuya knew something soon. Still, Katsuya would not go down without a fight or in this case, not without attempting to avoid the subject for as long as he could.

"Do you know what's wrong with Yugi, Jou-kun?" Anzu questioned right then. Blinking at the girl once in surprise Katsuya released a nervous laugh and uttered: "I think he is coping with his part in the play."

"Jou-kun!" Anzu huffed, crossing her arms. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that the younger princess gets to kiss the prince instead of the older one", Katsuya replied and slumped in his seat in an annoyed manner. "I thought he would be happy to hear that and he was, before he turned all freaky and spooked."

"Yugi is not being freaky!" Anzu snapped. "He's never been kissed before and so of course it's a shock to find out that he's getting to kiss his crush."

"I didn't freak out when Seto kissed me", Katsuya grumbled under his breath, the words followed by Anzu's warning tone questioning: "What was that?"

"Nothing", came Katsuya's instant response. "I was in no way disagreeing with you."

"Good", Anzu growled out and Katsuya wondered when he had turned into such a sissy, and also when Anzu had turned into a female yakuza.

"Hey, Yugi", Honda spoke to the vertically challenged member of their group. "You're supposed to be happy. I mean, it's a great chance and I don't think that's the worst way to lose your first kiss." The brunet patted the star-haired teen on the shoulder. When Yugi did not response the tall boy gave a pleading look to the other two teens.

It was with a sigh that Katsuya scooted to the end of the couch that was the closest to the armchair Yugi was sitting in. He then spoke gently to the small boy, knowing very well that Yugi could hear then even when he acted unresponsive: "Yugi, if it bothers you this much I can change the play. No one but my teacher has seen any of the later scenes so I can still change the whole thing."

"No!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed, jumping out of his seat so quickly that the spooked Honda fell off his own seat and onto the floor. Anzu and Katsuya also jumped at the unexpected reaction and blinked at Yugi in confusion, causing the short boy to blush from embarrassment when everyone's attention was on him.

"Um…I mean you don't have to do that for me", Yugi hurried to assure Katsuya, waving his hands some. "You've gone through a lot of trouble to get that play written. I can't spoil this for you."

"Thanks, Yugi", Katsuya said with a wide smile. Yugi was so sweet and darn cute too. It almost made Katsuya feel bad about the way he had set the boy up, but then he remembered that he had done it **for** his friend and instantly felt better.

"I hope you can hold on to that high spirit in the practise too", Honda muttered as he got up from the wall. "It would be a pity if that nice speech of yours was wasted."

"Don't be like that", Anzu cut in. "I'm sure Yugi will pull through for us, won't you, Yugi?" With that the girl focused her attention to Yugi. The small boy swallowed nervously before saying: "No worries, guys. I will do this. I will be nervous and scared, but I will do it."

"Great", Honda said and smacked Yugi's shoulder. Katsuya grinned widely at the star-haired teen and Anzu beamed happily. From this point forward, things would hopefully become easier, as long as Yugi would find it within himself to keep his promise.

&&&&&&&

The next morning Anzu used the school network to tell everyone that the complete scripts would be handed out to all actors that same day after lessons. The girl accompanied Jou to take enough photocopies of the script so that everyone would have one for their own.

Yugi was feeling really anxious about Yami's reaction to finding out that the two of them would be kissing during the play. The short boy was not only worried by possible repulsion on the crimson-eyed youth's part, but also by the fact that he had no idea how to approach Yami with the subject of practising their scenes together. He would have to make sure that he did not sound too eager but he could not show dislike towards the thought either or Yami would question him about it.

It turned out that Yugi had nothing to worry about. The girl playing the part of the older princess, Sakuraba, asked Yugi and Yami both if they could practise their scenes together in the auditorium or even at one of their houses after school sometime that week. Even though Yugi would have preferred it so that Sakuraba was not present, he agreed instantly. After all, he could not let Yami know that he would have preferred to practise alone with the taller boy. And not all was lost with that, though. Yugi would still have plenty of chances to ask Yami to practise with him alone during those practise sessions with Sakuraba.

When Yami also agreed to Sakuraba's suggestion Yugi figured that there was nothing to worry about at the moment, not even the fact that their first practise session would be the following day. The only thing that was a source of worry that rose up in the meeting was the problem of substitute actors. The thing was, there was not any. Their class was not large enough to provide enough manpower for that. It would not really be fair of them to ask the ones working on the set to also act and they could not force anyone outside the volunteers to take any of the jobs.

The only conclusion they reached for the problem was Jou's statement that he knew the scrip well enough to take care of any emergency substitute roles. It was not much but it would have to do until they got more people to participate in the acting. Fortunately they still had six weeks to work something out. It was enough time for more than one person to change their mind about not wanting to have any part in the project.

_**To be continued…**_


	15. Let's Get The Show Going

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 15**

**Let's Get The Show Going**

"Okay", Sakuraba ("call me Misa") spoke out when Yami and Yugi had arrived in the school auditorium. "Do you two have anything specific you would like us to start with?"

"We should probably start from the top", Yugi spoke timidly, not feeling comfortable talking in company he did not know so well. "That's how we're going to be going about it at the practise at school as well, I believe."

"Good idea, Yugi-kun", Misa agreed with a nod of her head. "We'll start with our first scene and then see how far forward we can go during the two hours I have managed to reserve the auditorium for us."

"We are using our scripts, right?" Yami questioned suddenly, sounding a bit awkward. "I don't really know my lines."

There was a giggle from Misa, one a bit too joyous to be sincere in Yugi's opinion. The short teen did not think much of it, however, and the brunette girl spoke to Yami: "Of course we will use our scripts. There is no way any of us would know our lines after one day. You're so silly." That last statement was followed by some more giggling from the girl.

Yami looked rather uncomfortable all of a sudden, as did Yugi. There was something a bit unsettling about Misa's exaggerated laughter. It bordered on insincere, like Misa was making it an effort to keep things pleasant during practise. Yugi wondered why that was.

"Okay, so the first scene also has the two princesses' parents in it, so we should probably skip it. The first scene with only us three is the second one, the welcoming ball", Yugi spoke, having marked all the scenes beforehand. Yami and Misa agreed with Yugi and the short boy actually started to feel a bit more confident in himself now that he got to lead the practise and the other two seemed to like the decisions he was making.

Yugi also knew perfectly well when he would get to kiss Yami. It was near the middle of the play and would happen in a garden setting. It was incredibly sappy but also very romantic. The whole scene was like that and Yugi found himself thinking that he would have to be alone with Yami for at least the first time they went through it. He did not want any audience for his first kiss, especially since it would be with Yami of all people.

The three started going through the scenes and managed to cover quite the few of them in their practise run of the scenes. They almost made it to the middle of the script but to Yugi's relief they did not have the time to go through the kiss scene. Perhaps Yugi could get Yami to come over to his house the next day to practise it. Before that could happen Yugi would have to get rid of Misa, though.

"That didn't go over too well", Misa mumbled as she and the two boys walked out of the auditorium. She sounded so very disappointed that Yugi attempted to console her by saying: "I think it went well for our first time. First we need to learn the lines' content. Then we can work on including some emotion in them."

"If you think so…" Misa mumbled and offered Yugi a sweet smile. "Thanks, Yugi-kun. I feel better now." The girl's hand then brushed against Yugi's arm but the short boy figured it must have been by accident. It was possible since the brunette was a couple of inches taller than Yugi. The girl parted ways with the two star-haired teens when they walked out the school gates, leaving Yugi alone with Yami.

"I guess we won't have any practise with Misa-chan tomorrow", Yugi started out, feeling his cheeks heat up as he tried not to think about what he was planning. "I was wondering that if you aren't too busy then maybe you could cover to my place after school and we could practise the couple of scenes where there are only the two of us."

"Sure", came Yami's response, a lot quicker than what Yugi had expected. The taller teen had replied so quickly that Yugi did not believe that the other had even given it any thought if he was free tomorrow or not. All in all, Yugi got the impression that Yami was more than eager to practise with him tomorrow but the short boy could not figure out a reason for why the crimson-eyed youth would feel like that.

& the next morning &

"Well, aren't you being chipper today…" Seto grumbled when he and Yami were once again walking to school together. Yami was not affected by the other's displeased tone at all and replied cheerfully: "I have a date with Yugi!"

"Oh?" came Seto's drawled response. "How ever did you manage that?"

"We will be practising our lines together today after school", Yami replied with a broad grin on his face. "We will be going through all the scenes we have together." The grin softened into a goofy smile. "That means I'm going to get to kiss him."

"Good for you", Seto spoke with not too much enthusiasm. Yami was not bothered by that, though. If Seto had been expressing any happiness for him then the star-haired teen would have been worried.

"That doesn't really count as a date", Seto commented in a calm manner. "You realize that, don't you?"

Of course Seto had to be the voice of reason and keep Yami from looking too much into things and getting over excited, but the shorter teen would have still preferred if he had gotten to be deliriously happy about this for a while longer.

"Party pooper", the star-haired boy grumbled with distaste. "You just have to ruin my fun every time I'm happy about something, don't you?" Yami turned to glare at his taller companion and Seto shot him a mocking smile before the brunet replied: "That's why I'm here, Yami. To keep you grounded."

"Grounded or below ground level in depression?" Yami questioned in a low grumble. Sometimes, well most of the time actually, Seto was simply too pessimistic and ruined Yami's good mood on many occasions. And the worst part of it was that everything Seto said was the undeniable truth so Yami could not even blame the brunet for making unpleasant comments.

"Why are you so ecstatic about getting to repeat some lines with Yugi?" Seto asked then. "Just because you're in a play together does not mean that you will end up as a couple, even if you have romantic scenes together."

"They are more than simply romantic scenes", Yami answered as his mood began to lift again. His grin came back full force a moment before he continued: "We will be kissing each other in one of our scenes."

"I see", Seto spoke slowly before directing his attention to the street before them. "And you think Yugi is going to perform the actual kiss during your first practise? Usually people just go through the lines."

"I just figured that if I grabbed him so quickly that I could manage to plant a kiss on him before he manages to react", Yami confessed, feeling embarrassment take over slowly. Seto glanced in his direction briefly and Yami saw the incredulous manner the brunet had looked at him. It was a clear sign that Seto was not having much faith in Yami's plan.

There was a sigh from Seto and the tall teen pursed his lips momentarily before speaking out: "Well, if that is what you want to do then fine go ahead." The brunet shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. Yami huffed at the response before asking: "Do you have a better idea, then?"

"Well", Seto started in an exaggerated long drawl and Yami knew that the brunet did in fact have an opinion of his own on the matter at hand. "I think you should not push Yugi so much so quickly. It would be wiser if you got to know him first. You can use these practise lessons as a chance to ask him about his likes and dislikes. After that he would be less likely to react so negatively when you kiss him."

"So you think Yugi might not want me to kiss him?" Yami questioned. Seto waved a hand at him as he replied: "That's not what I said. I'm merely pointing out that Yugi is not exactly used to such acts as kissing so he might panic. Get him used to the idea at first. Kiss him on the cheek and play it off as a joke. That way you can get him to gradually accept such contact from you."

"That's going to take forever", Yami grumbled. He was not exactly patient enough to carry through a plan like that. Seto merely marched on, they had reached the school gates now, and shot at the shorter teen: "Stop whining. I didn't say you had to things my way. I just think that you might get better results if you went about things differently."

"Did you go too quickly with Jou?" Yami asked then, wondering if that was the source of this wisdom Seto was spouting. "Is that how you know so much about this?"

"None of your business", Seto snapped and for once Yami decided not to annoy his companion any further.

&

"I'm so nervous", Yugi uttered as he walked beside Jou, feeling incredibly flustered. The blond seemed to sympathise with Yugi's state of anxiousness when he spoke in a supportive manner: "Don't worry, Yugi. The key to dealing with awkward stuff is to simply wing it and not give yourself time to doubt yourself."

Those words did not sound comforting to Yugi. Yugi had never simply rushed head first into something and now his friend was telling him to do just that. Besides, his grandfather had always told him to be smart about everything he did in order to avoid trouble. And Jou was always getting himself into trouble.

"Are you sure it works like that?" Yugi questioned from his blond companion. "I could really mess things up if I don't know what I'm doing."

"But you don't know what you're doing", Jou insisted and Yugi blushed in embarrassment at the truth. He sighed in resignation as he figured that Jou did have some experience and actually had people chasing after him. That had to mean that he had to be onto something; Otogi and Kaiba could not both be just weird, after all.

"Okay", Yugi said finally. "What do you make of my situation?"

"Well, I do know that you can't possibly hope to get Otomya by pretending to be something else than what you really are", Jou started. "If you plan something before hand, then it's not spontaneous anymore and that would make it unlike your own nature. The thing is that in due time you won't be able to plan ahead and that's when things come crashing down."

"You're saying I should just be myself, then?" Yugi questioned with a lifted eyebrow. Who would have thought that the 'though guy' Jou would give him such sentimental advice?

"That's pretty much it", Jou said with a laugh and a shrug. "I mean, every time I tried to act like Shizuka last summer, I just felt uncomfortable. Every time I forgot myself and acted like myself, Seto seemed to act…you know." The blond waved his hand slightly and Yugi released a chuckle and replied: "I understand, Jou. No worries."

The time was nearing that Yugi and Yami would be leaving together and as the two friends neared the front doors of the school, Yugi felt himself grow even more nervous. He would have to steel himself in order to not let it show, though, even if that would prove to be a difficult task to accomplish.

"Okay, the moment of truth is nearing", Yugi said and straightened his school jacket for the umpteenth time. "I'll try to follow your advice and then see where it takes me."

"Just in case he seems to be willing to get closer to you, then go along with it", Jou advised then. "I think letting Otomya make the first move would suit you better. You'll have to be prepared to do something about things yourself, though."

"Okay", Yugi said with a nod, even though he did not think he could follow through that instruction easily; meaning the one where he would have to do something himself. He was all for letting Yami do what he pleased in stead.

"Yugi!" Yami's voice shouted out and Yugi wondered how the other teen saw him among all the taller students, since the crimson-eyed boy was not much taller than Yugi. That questioned was answered, however, when he and Jou finally reached Yami and saw that the taller star-haired teen was accompanied by no other than Kaiba. The brunet had without a doubt noticed Jou the moment the blond came within his line of sight and had made the assumption that Yugi was with his friend and told Yami just that.

"Hi, Yami", Yugi greeted the red-eyed boy and then glanced at Kaiba timidly. "Hello, Kaiba-kun."

Kaiba merely grunted in response while Yami greeted him back enthusiastically. Fortunately Yugi did not have to put up with Kaiba's constantly judging gaze for long when the brunet directed all of his attention to fawning over Jou in his typical invading manner. Jou seemed to react to it with more acceptance than before, which was the last thing Yugi noticed about the taller pair before his attention was swept away by Yami.

"You ready to go, Yugi?" Yami questioned with a friendly smile and Yugi was reduced into infatuated mush. The shorter teen only nodded his head and smiled in a dreamy manner that certainly must have looked ridiculous. Fortunately Yami did not seem to notice as he led the way out of the school building and across the schoolyard.

Yugi felt rather bad about leaving Jou to fend Kaiba off by himself, especially when considering how bold the tall brunet could be. Still, Yami came first in Yugi's mind and heart no matter how unfair it was towards his best friend.

&

"You doubt my words even when I speak nothing but the truth", Yami spoke out from the script in front of him. He had actually spent time learning as many lines as he could the previous evening, so that he could impress Yugi with his acting skills. At least he hoped that his performance could be considered skilful.

"You have given me no reason to trust your complimenting lips and seductive mouth", Yugi replied and seemed to be somewhat awkward with his part. Yami feared that Yugi would not cope well with them kissing if he could not manage to get the shorter boy to calm down. The amethyst-eyed teen was more jittery than a videogame controller set on vibrate.

Reaching out, like the script instructed, Yami pulled Yugi into an embrace that was left slightly awkward since they were sitting side by side on a couch. Yugi stiffened in Yami's arms and the taller teen explained his actions by simply reciting his next lines: "You will not get away from me."

The shoulders Yami was holding relaxed a moment before Yugi's voice spoke: "Why are you so persistent?"

"You tell me why you are so stubborn", Yami shot back, reading his script over Yugi's shoulder. "Is this pounding heart beating in my chest lying to you as well?"

"What is it that you want from me?" Yugi spoke and shifted around in Yami's arms as he changed the page in his script. "What could I possibly grant you that your fiancé can't give?"

"I love only you", Yami uttered softly and felt his cheeks heat up as he read those four words. It was the next part that had his heart beating two times faster, though. There, between two stars, were the words: 'Kiss princess Ami'. And 'princess Ami' stood for Yugi.

Yami moved his hand to underneath Yugi's chin and lifted the shorter teen's head to his vision. Yugi's eyes were slightly wider than before and the thin eyebrows rose considerably when Yami leaned his face closer to Yugi's own.

Looking at the almost frightened expression Yami decided to change the course of his lips just this once and placed a soft kiss in Yugi's cheek instead of his lips. 'Get him used to you', had been Seto's advice. That sounded simple enough.

Pulling away far enough to see Yugi's face Yami noticed a burning blush on the shorter boy's cheeks and nose. Even the boy's cheeks were tinted pink. Yami offered the other teen a small smile and spoke in a whisper: "Your line, Yugi."

"Uh…" Yugi muttered and trailed off. He glanced down at his script like he was only seeing it for the first time and after the shorter boy had stared at the papers blankly for a while Yami decided to let the other out of his misery and helped: "Not even true love goes above honesty in the matters of the royal family."

Scanning the page some more Yugi finally smiled widely in triumph and read the rest of the line: "I can not imagine being without you, my prince, but I love my sister as well and you have made a promise to her. This shall be the last kiss that we will ever share." And then the boy caught Yami completely off guard by tilting his head up enough to plant a chaste kiss right on Yami's lips.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I have a feeling that this story is going to end up a bit longer than PYPS. But, at any matter, my exams are now over, meaning that I should be able to get back to updating frequently soon.


	16. Hurtful Words

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 16**

**Hurtful Words**

"So, did you do something or did you just sit there like a retard, drooling from the corner of your mouth?" Seto questioned from Yami when the star-haired teen told him about the practise at Yugi's house. The two were currently at the shorter teen's locker. It always took Yami a long time to find his books because of the mountain of love letters that had been stuffed inside. The white, and sometimes pink, envelopes brought back some were unpleasant memories from Seto's first year when the brunet had been the object of the female horde's affections.

"I admit I was pretty shocked", Yami answered with a frown of distaste as he grabbed a handful of perfume-smelling letters to throw away. That was the way the star-haired teen had ended up taking care of the problem, a handful of letters at a time. Every break he would throw out more and by the end of the school day his locker would be letter free. Too bad that it did not get rid of the scent, though.

"So you simply sat there like an idiot", Seto concluded and shook his head. "You're hopeless."

"I did not", Yami argued and slammed his locker shut. "I was shocked **at first**. I got over it."

"And what happened when you managed that miraculous feat?" Seto questioned in a patronizing manner. Yami glared at the tone as he replied: "I said that we would need to work on our kissing in order to make the scene believable. He agreed and did not seem to mind at all." The star-haired teen smirked in a manner that was very close to Seto's plotting expression. "I'm going to have a lot of fun teaching him."

"I bet", Seto replied and rolled his eyes at the amateurish plan. But, the brilliance of the plan did not matter as long as it worked. Even with that thought Seto was about to make a degrading comment directed at his companion's lack of creativity but the words never made it out when the brunet was knocked off balance mentally by someone pushing past him rudely. Seto was definitely not used to anyone having the gall to do that to him and was even further startled when the perpetrator turned out to be a brunette girl rushing to what seemed to be a group of her friends further down the hallway. Seto scoffed and glared at the girl's back for a moment before turning to Yami and speaking: "Good luck with that. You're going to need it."

"Why is it that you have all the faith in the world for your own plans but never seem to trust in me?" Yami grunted in a displeased manner. Seto merely shrugged his shoulders at the shorter teen's words, feeling very satisfied with himself. Annoying Yami was a great way to pass time and the more he managed to get on Yami's nerves, the more entertaining the activity was.

As Seto's eyes fell on a form further down the hall, he immediately recognized the familiar shade of blond hair and smirked to himself. It was time he engaged in another activity that he enjoyed besides annoying the heck out of Yami. Actually, Seto would enjoy the former more than the latter.

"Hello, Katsuya", Seto breathed into the ear of the teen he had walked behind of. The blond jumped visibly and immediately whirled around to stare at Seto with wide brown eyes. And there was that blush Seto so enjoyed seeing. Mission accomplished.

"H-hi, S-Seto", Katsuya replied as his cheeks flushed even redder. Did the blond honestly think that anyone believed that he did not feel anything for Seto? Even a blind person could see that Katsuya could not get enough of the brunet. Or then that was simply Seto's own mind stroking his ego. Nah, Katsuya worshipped him, that's what it was.

&

Katsuya had actually liked watching Seto's face, even with the playful smirk playing on the brunet's lips. Especially because of that smirk, actually. But then the lips curled in a different manner, making the brunet look very self-satisfied and smug.

To put things simply, Katsuya did not like that look quite as much when it was directed at him. It made him feel like Seto was degrading him silently in his mind. If there was something Katsuya did not tolerate from anyone, it was being looked down on.

Crossing his arms Katsuya smoothened his face into the tough-guy glare that he had mastered ages ago. He narrowed his eyes at Seto before growling out: "Was there something you needed or do you just enjoy looking at my pretty face that much?" Of course, had it been anyone other than Seto he was talking to, Katsuya would have never referred to himself having a pretty face.

"Was that an offer, Katsuya?" Seto questioned, teeth flashing from between thin lips. The brunet brought his fingers to brush against Katsuya's cheek and the blond felt his body quiver ever so slightly as Seto spoke: "Because I think I would like to stare at you hours on end. It would be a nice way to satisfy my possessiveness."

Suddenly a hand fell on Katsuya's shoulder from behind and the blond felt his blood run cold. Startled, he jumped away from that grappling hand, unintentionally sending himself right into Seto. Katsuya realized his mistake a moment too late when Seto's arms wrapped around him in an embrace.

"Take your hands off him, Kaiba", Honda snarled and as Katsuya glanced at his friend, he realized that he had been the one to touch him. "Jou doesn't-"

"I'm fine, Honda", Katsuya spoke out in a meaningful tone. Seto's touch did not bother him at all. It had been Honda who had spooked him.

Still, even though Seto felt very comforting, Katsuya did not really like the way the brunet had started to nuzzle his temple in the middle of the school hallway. Pressing a hand against Seto's lower face Katsuya pushed the brunet back enough to glare into the blue eyes as he spoke: "You know, I don't actually appreciate being treated like a giant plush toy in the middle of a school hallway."

The brunet frowned in a manner that indicated that Seto was about to argue but Katsuya cut him off by saying: "I have a limit to how much public affection I can tolerate. You've just about breached that limit."

It was with unrecognisable mutters that Seto released his hold of Katsuya and the blond got to step away from the brunet before they attracted too big of a crowd to watch the display. Honestly, what was with Seto and showing off to everyone he did not even know? That was exactly one of the reasons why Katsuya was being so distant with the taller teen. He did not want to end up being jumped in the school hallway simply because Seto was possessive.

"I'll see you after class then, Katsuya", Seto spoke in a stern tone of voice before turning around and walking over to Otomya, who had been waving to someone standing left from Katsuya's opinion. The blond had a pretty good idea of who that person was and a quick glance to said direction revealed to Katsuya that Yugi was also waving with his fingers. It was so terribly sweet that if Katsuya had been half as tough as he acted to be he would have found it disgusting. But, being the closet softie that he was, he simply smiled at his small friend. Yugi seemed to notice the staring since he looked up right at Katsuya and flushed slightly from embarrassment at being caught making eyes at his crush.

"Jou", Honda started in an awkward tone and Katsuya turned a curious gaze at the brunet in question. Honda looked extremely uncomfortable as he spoke rather quietly: "I'm sorry about what I did. I should have known better than to sneak up on you."

Turning his head slightly Katsuya offered his friend a smile before saying: "It's alright, Honda. I don't expect the whole world to change its course simply because I'm not completely…" Katsuya trailed off at that, not about to say 'not completely normal' out loud.

"We should go to class, guys. The teacher will be here any minute now", Anzu spoke out and all three males of the group nodded their heads in agreement before they made their way into the classroom and headed to their seats.

Plopping down into his seat Katsuya leaned his head back to stare at the classroom ceiling. He really hated it whenever he jumped at a completely innocent touch from another person. He could not even fight back a flinch when his own father touched him unexpectedly. The only people around Katsuya constantly who did not make him feel threatened were Yugi and Anzu for the simple reason that they were that much smaller than Katsuya. It was really depressing to think that Katsuya would not be able to be comfortable around people even slightly taller than him for the rest of his life.

But then there was Seto. The brunet had to be the exception in every single rule. It was baffling to Katsuya how he could find himself actually enjoying Seto's touch when he could not even sit next to Honda on the couch in Yugi's living room. To Katsuya it seemed odd that he could be more comfortable around Seto than the person he had known longer than anyone else. There was a possibility that someone else might be able to provide the blond with insight on the matter but he was not exactly comfortable talking about it, especially with Yugi or Anzu who were not even aware of Katsuya's predicament. Katsuya was also determined to keep things that way. It was bad enough that Honda acted like he was walking on glass around him, Katsuya did not need the rest of his friends doing that as well.

&

Jou needed to talk about his problems. Hiroto knew this but he did not know how to approach the subject with his friend. Jou tended to get extremely defensive whenever someone as much as suggested that he had a weakness of sorts or displayed concern, which he often saw as pity. And to make matters worse the blond had what Hiroto liked to call a 'martyr complex', meaning that Jou was under the delusion that it would be wrong of him to burden his friends with his problems. There was really nothing more frustrating than trying to help someone who acted ungrateful to all attempts at providing help.

Telling Anzu or Yugi about the situation would be betraying of Jou's trust and Hiroto did not wish for Jou to have any other reasons to be difficult with him. So, unless Jou informed those two himself Hiroto would not be able to ask them for help. Hiroto was starting to wonder if the only option was to go to Jou's father.

There was, of course, Kaiba but Hiroto was not exactly comfortable with the thought of running off to that particular person for help. It seemed that one of the few people that Jou allowed to touch him was Kaiba and the blond even let the tall teen a lot closer than he did anyone else. It was possible that Jou had somehow connected being with Kaiba with being safe, which was probably because the brunet had been the one to save him from Keith's clutches, which seemed to be the root of the problem.

It was not certain that Kaiba was aware of Jou having a problem since the blond was always alright whenever Kaiba was present but if Kaiba was half as smart as he lead people to believe, he would be aware of the possibility of Jou being traumatized by his experience the previous summer. The situation was not as bad as in all those documents Hiroto had seen, most of them watched for the reason of understanding Jou's situation better, but then again, Kaiba had stopped that pervert from going all the way with Jou. Jou may not have been the classical rape victim that shied away from all human contact but Hiroto had grown tired of Jou becoming completely stiff with fear every time the two of them roughhoused a bit.

The best option Hiroto had was to go talk to Kaiba. If there was anyone that could make Jou both listen and talk it would be him, no matter how much Hiroto wanted to deny that fact. Personally he did not like Kaiba much, if at all, but it would be worth swallowing his pride if the taller teen could help Jou get better.

&

Katsuya was never one to listen to gossip, because it never held much interest to him. There is always an exception, however, and the exception to the unwritten rule of not listening to gossip came during that same day when the blond was trying to avoid running into Seto.

The fact that Sakuraba Misa played one of the leading parts in the play barely registered in Katsuya's mind when the blond passed the brunette and her two friends in the school hallway. His interest was directed to the discussion, however, when the blond heard her talk about the practise she had had with Yugi and Otomya, the name of his friend catching his attention easily.

Not wanting to alert the girls to the fact that he was listening in, Katsuya stood a small distance away from the three, choosing a spot that was as far away as possible while he was still able to hear the discussion properly.

"I swear, he was staring at him throughout the entire practise", Sakuraba spoke in a tone of voice that neared being shrilly. "He was even smiling. He has to have the hots for him to act that way, don't you agree?"

"Well", one of the other two girls started. "Such behaviour definitely is suspicious. Staring and smiling are key signs to having a crush." The girl's tone turned thoughtful as she continued: "But could he really be gay? I mean, he just seems so straight to me."

"I know, I know", Sakuraba nearly yelled. "But I saw it myself. I tried so hard to get along with the both of them but I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. I mean, it's so freaky."

"Well, Kaiba-kun is clearly gay for Jounouchi-kun and you aren't making such a ruckus out of that", the third girl piped in, to which Sakuraba argued: "Well Kaiba-kun won't be stealing away my crush with his courting attempts, will he?"

"I suppose Misa has a point there", the second girl said with a shrug. "You have to admit that if the two of them end up as a couple it's going to be a lot bigger of a loss than with Kaiba and Jounouchi's case. It's not like those two were very likely boyfriend material to anyone."

"I really don't get it", the third girl interrupted before the other could continue with the rant. "Why is it such a big surprise that he is gay? I mean, he isn't exactly the tallest guy around and definitely can't be getting dates that easily."

"You don't understand anything", Sakuraba snapped. "Guys don't turn gay just because they can't get a girlfriend. It's not a conscious decision."

"That's right", the second girl agreed with a nod. "Not to mention Otomya-kun is actually popular with the ladies."

"I still feel sorry for Yugi-kun, though", the third girl spoke out. "I mean, he's definitely straight and having a gay guy all over him is going to be rough."

That was the point where Katsuya decided that he had heard enough and walked off. He also decided that it was probably better that he did not waste his time avoiding Seto anymore. There was no telling what might happen if those girls were allowed to spread those rumours.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I bet you all thought those girls were talking about Yugi, didn't you? I decided that it was about time that cliché was pushed aside. It's Yami's turn to go through the rumour mill for a change.

Also, I very much apologise for the lack of updates. I started reading Fullmetal Alchemist manga and it sent into a fangirlish fit, causing me to completely lose my inspiration for Yu-Gi-Oh stories. Fortunately it has started to pass and I came out of it unharmed. In other words, I didn't get swamped by a gigantic pile of FMA fanfic ideas. Thank heavens for that small miracle. At any matter, I'm still not making promises for when I will be updating again but I will try very hard to get complete chapters done for my stories within the next two weeks.


	17. Dating For The Stubborn

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 17**

**Dating For The Stubborn**

It did not take Katsuya long to locate Seto, probably because the brunet had most likely been looking for him as well, but Katsuya still found himself surprised when he saw Seto. This was because he saw the teen talking to Honda of all people.

As he neared the two Katsuya could not hear what was being said but he did see the serious looks on the two teens' faces. Neither of them looked pleased at all and Katsuya simply knew that they were fighting about something and, knowing Honda, that something was Katsuya himself.

Not waiting until he was closer to the two Katsuya yelled across the hallway: "Honda! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Both brunets jumped at the loud exclamation and turned their surprised faces to Katsuya, who stormed the rest of the way to the two and crossed his arms in aggravation.

"What the heck are you doing harassing Kaiba behind my back?" Katsuya snapped at his friend as he tapped his foot for emphasis. "I don't need you to go around threatening people, nor do I want you to."

Honda lifted his hands up in surrender as he hurried to explain: "Jou, this is nothing like that. We weren't fighting, honest."

"Then what were you two doing?" Katsuya questioned in an incredulous manner, glancing between Honda and Seto. "It must have been something serious judging from the expressions you were wearing moments ago. Now what could you two possibly even have to talk about that would make you both serious as well? I don't know about you two but I can only come up with one thing."

"I'm only looking out for your well-being", Honda said in a desperate manner and Katsuya grit his teeth as he instantly saw red. He balled his hands into tight fists as he started to holler: "I didn't ask you to be my fucking bodyguard! I can take care of myself just fine! I'm not a _cripple_!"

Katsuya felt his throat tighten and eyes burn but he allowed his weaker emotions to be buried underneath unadulterated rage. How dared Honda do this to him? He did not need Honda's protection, whatever it was that the brunet was protecting him from this time. Katsuya was not made of glass and Honda did not seem to realize that. Ever since he had come back to Domino Honda had been acting like Katsuya was unable to do anything by himself and it was driving Katsuya insane.

Now Honda looked lost, like he had suddenly realized something and Katsuya grit his teeth as he wondered if the brunet had noticed just how hurt he was. In order to both block out that guilty look and to keep the other from looking at his face any closer Katsuya turned his face to Seto and hissed: "And what about you, then? Do you want to take care of me as well? Like I was some sort of a weakling?"

"Now you're being unreasonable, Katsuya", Seto spoke calmly. "You can not be angry at people simply because they worry about you." The tall brunet lifted his hand to brush it against Katsuya's arm but the blond ignored it. He would not allow Seto to distract him from his anger with gentle touches.

"I'm not angry because you worry", Katsuya said. "I'm angry because you go about behind my back and try to protect me like I wasn't able to do it myself." The blond turned his glare at Honda. "I'm tired of being treated like I'm suddenly incapable of the simplest tasks. Just because Keith assaulted me it doesn't mean I can't go on living."

Taking deep, shivering breaths Katsuya did not even realize that he had started crying until Seto's arms had come around him in a protective embrace. Despite his insistence on wanting independence, for once the blond did not shun the taller teen's offer of comfort and clung tightly to Seto's school uniform.

It was the most humiliating thing he had ever done, the way he sobbed and clung to Seto with Honda only a couple of metres away watching the display. He did not even want to consider the possibility of other students seeing what was going on and spreading the news of his break down. The last thing he needed was for the whole school to know that he was emotionally imbalanced.

"How about I take you to the nurse's office?" Seto suggested gently as he rubbed Katsuya's back with a hand. Katsuya basked in the feel of Seto's gentle touches as the brunet continued: "It would be a lot more private, don't you think?"

Not trusting his voice not to break Katsuya simply nodded his head and pulled away from Seto's hold with no small amount of regret. After that the blond allowed Seto to take a hold of his hand and lead the way to the nurse's office. For once Katsuya was grateful for his messy hair, since it now effectively hid his reddened eyes as he walked with Seto through the school hallways.

Honda did not follow after them, making Katsuya wonder what the two teens had been talking about when he had found them. Earlier that same day Honda would never have trusted Seto alone with Katsuya but now he seemed to have no problem with it even now that Katsuya could have been considered to be emotionally vulnerable. It was almost like Honda was expecting Seto to be able to make Katsuya feel better.

&

It had not actually come as a surprise when Honda revealed to Seto that Katsuya was suffering from a trauma brought on by being attacked. Seto had been almost expecting a revelation like that ever since he had had a run-in with a hysterical, crying Katsuya on the school hallway.

As Seto sat next to Katsuya on a bed in the nurse's office he thought about the theory Honda had told him, the one about how Katsuya was at least subconsciously if not consciously considering Seto a protection whenever he felt threatened. Seto wondered if that meant that Katsuya was definitely attached to him or if it meant that Katsuya was so responsive to him because of his trauma.

"You know, Seto", Katsuya started suddenly, sounding a lot calmer than before. "I was actually looking for you."

"Oh?" Seto questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "Why was that?"

"I heard something", Katsuya replied. "There were these girls who were talking about Otomya and Yugi. They know Otomya is attracted to Yugi and I'd hate to think how rumours like that would affect Yugi. Yugi hates rumours and would probably distance himself from Otomya in order to have them both get peace from them."

Trusting Katsuya's judgement of his friend's character Seto nodded his head in understanding before he asked: "And how many girls were there?" It he knew how fan girls operated at all, which he certainly did, all might not have been lost just yet.

"Three", was Katsuya's response. "Sakuraba and two of her friends. Why do you ask?"

"Because three isn't very many", Seto replied simply and smirked to himself. Yes, there would be no problems from those three. He brought an arm around Katsuya's shoulders and grimaced when the blond shrugged it off. Apparently Katsuya was not feeling vulnerable anymore and his mood had changed to defensive instead. Still, Seto decided not to let that bother him as he started to explain: "Yami is very popular among the girls at the moment. Those three will not be able to convince anyone else of their opinions, at least until the rest of the girls have gotten over their fascination with the new, dark student."

"You're saying all the other girls are going to be in denial about Yami in order to keep their fantasies about him alive?" Katsuya questioned. Seto merely nodded his head and smiled in a fond manner when the blond commented: "That's stupid."

Seto did not get a chance to respond to Katsuya verbally before the school nurse walked into the room and spoke in a warm tone of voice: "And what do you little sweeties need?"

"A painkiller for Katsuya's headache", Seto replied easily. He knew Katsuya's head would be hurting after the crying he had done. After that the two of them would head off to their next class.

&

Even though Anzu often acted nonchalant towards the darker side of Honda and Jou's lives that did not mean that it did not cause her to worry every now and then. Truth to be told, she often found herself wringing her hands together with worry whenever the two were late for something. Above everything else she hated waiting for her friends without the slightest hint to what was keeping them. Anzu had a habit of expecting the worse possible case scenario, simply because Honda and Jou seemed to attract trouble.

To put things simply Anzu was afraid that Honda and Jou had not been able to get away from their gang past as well as they thought. Whenever she could not see that her friends were fine with her own two eyes, she worried that they had been hurt or something worse by some random thugs that belonged to either their old gang or some rival gang.

Because of those always-dormant doubts Anzu paid extra notice whenever Jou seemed to act strangely. Sadly, though, lately Jou had been acting strangely on a regular basis. The blond was distant and jumpy, the latter former hinting at worries and the latter at fear, so Anzu suspected rather strongly that Jou was in trouble of sorts. And she figured it had something to do with street gangs from the way Honda was acting.

Honda always had a worried expression on his face whenever he was watching Jou and when Anzu had asked Honda if the blond was in any trouble, the brunet had acted very dismissive. It was obvious that Honda knew something about whatever it was that was bothering Jou so Anzu thought that the most obvious explanation was that some gang was causing Jou grief.

It was true that Anzu understood why Honda and Jou were reluctant to talk about their business, considering how different the two were from Yugi and Anzu. There was very little chance that Anzu or Yugi could truly understand just what the two had gone through and with Yugi being as naïve as he was, it was to be expected that the other two boys would think that it would be wrong of them to burden their friends with their problems.

Anzu understood very well that Honda and Jou were independent natures, but that did not mean that she was completely alright with the two keeping things from her and Yugi. They were all friends and friends should support each other. A shared burden was much easier to endure than a burden that one carried alone.

When Jou told Anzu that he needed to speak to her privately, she did not hesitate the slightest. It was not all that often that Jou came to any of his friends for advice or simply to talk so Anzu wanted to show the boy that she was always ready to lend an ear and any kind words that she could.

"I take it you're going to tell me what's been bothering you lately?" Anzu questioned when she and Jou were sitting side by side on one of the benches beside the school's outer wall. Anzu had convinced Yugi to volunteer him and Honda to clean up the classroom after class so that she and Jou could have that private discussion that Jou wanted so badly.

Jou nodded his head before speaking out: "This isn't exactly something I can discuss with Honda or Yugi and Mai is out of town so I figured you're the best option."

"That's fine, Jou-kun", Anzu said in an encouraging manner. "Now what has you perplexed?"

"It's Kaiba", Jou started, speaking in a rush. "He's starting to wear me down and I aren't as angry about that as I should be. I think that I actually _want_ to go out with him."

A gentle smile came to Anzu's face as she said pleasantly: "What's so horrible about that? I, for one, am happy to hear that you are finally starting to make sense of your emotions."

"But I don't have time to suddenly let him close", Jou whined in desperation, gripping his hair in an aggravated manner. "I'm always thinking about him and that is seriously cutting into my concentration. If this keeps up or worsens we won't get that play working."

"Is that what you are worried about?" Anzu questioned incredulously. "I would think you will have enough time after school and practise to spend some time with Kaiba-kun."

"But he's so distracting!" Jou groaned. He buried his face in his hands and continued weakly: "I don't even know if I'm considering going out with him simply because I want him to leave me alone or because I like him."

"Well, how does it feel like when he is showing you his affections?" Anzu asked. "Do you like it or does it make you feel weary?"

"It feels nice", Jou replied without any hesitation. "But no one else has ever been that affectionate with me before."

"So, you weren't used to physical affection and now that you have gotten a taste you crave for more?" Anzu said in a questioning tone, wanting to make sure that she had understood her friend correctly.

There was a shrug from Jou, followed by the boy saying: "I guess", and Anzu figured that the blond needed a more specific image in order to make sense of his feelings.

"Do you know if it's only affection in general that you want or if it's affection specifically from Kaiba-kun? Have you tried to be with anyone else?"

From Jou's own words Anzu knew that the boy did not have much experience with relationships and so she was actually surprised when Jou nodded and muttered a quiet: "Yea." She masked her surprise, not wanting to offend Jou, by speaking another question: "How did it go?"

"I had to run into Seto's arms in order to feel right again", came Jou's answer. The choice of words along with the use of the brunet's first name clued Anzu to the fact that Jou certainly was at least fond of Kaiba. She gave Jou's shoulder a supportive pat before saying: "I say you definitely should go out with him."

"Right", Jou mumbled with a curt nod and Anzu moved her hand to pet the boy's head as she continued: "But, if you really are so worried about the play, tell Kaiba-kun that you need some space in order to focus on the task at hand. Bribe him with a date. That should work." Anzu smiled widely at that last bit. Kaiba would probably skip school if Jou promised him a date in return for it, at least that was the impression Anzu and many other students had gotten.

"Alright", Jou said with another nod. "I'll say that I don't want to have to stay after practise and spend extra time with Bakura. That should send him into a possessive fit that will keep him away from me until we have everything in order."

"My, Jou-kun", Anzu said with a wide smile that even showed teeth. "I never knew you could be so devious."

"What can I say?" Jou replied with a shrug. "Seto brings out the best in me."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: The scene with Anzu and Jou was rather hard to write since I had to write it in three parts. I sure hope the quality isn't too bad.


	18. Play Practise

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 18**

**Play Practise**

It was the first real practise that the group had and everything was a mess. The two boys playing guards were fifteen minutes late when they thought that since they did not have big parts it would be okay if they went to get some soda from the small store on the next street. Anzu had given them an earful and it was unlikely that they would repeat the mistake.

Not many had bothered to learn their lines at all, not counting the three people acting the lead parts. Bakura made it rather clear to everyone that it would not be wise to show up to the next practise without knowing at least some of the script. Anzu had been impressed with the sense of responsibility that Bakura showed but she would not have used so many cuss words as the albino to get the actors to understand what he was getting at.

Thanks to Bakura's what seemed like tireless efforts everyone had managed to get into their positions in no time and they could get the practise started. The colourful threats that the albino kept on bellowing until everyone had managed to get the hang of things were definitely a good motivation. But, even so, when the practise started to go on more smoothly, also Bakura's verbal lashes quieted down.

All along Jou had been very eager to edge Bakura on and Anzu had gotten the impression of the two having an iron-fisted rule over their dominion which was the auditorium. But Anzu was not complaining, as long as it got the work done. She was not particularly happy with the way everything had gone wrong at first either.

While Bakura directed the scenes that they were going through Anzu supplied the team with inside information on what the stage set was planned to look like, so that they could get the actors to stand in somewhat right positions on the stage. Jou had soon been pulled away from helping out by Kaiba, who had apparently gotten bored with both Jou and Otomya in the auditorium and not with him. Not matter what Kaiba told Jou, Anzu was not about to buy the story of the brunet simply feeling alone without his 'precious Katsuya' there with him. Jou seemed to be affected by the words, though, at least judging from the way the blond tried to cover his blush with the script in his hands.

"Jounouchi-kun and Kaiba-kun make such a cute couple, don't you think?" came a comment suddenly from Anzu's left and the brunette turned her head to see a girl smiling at her. Anzu recognized her as Iwato Hikaru. The black-haired girl sat next to Anzu in history class.

"I didn't know you were like that, Hikaru-chan", Anzu commented. The girl smiled as she replied: "I can't help but find them just perfect for each other."

"Yea, I guess the two of them are pretty compatible", Anzu confessed and then turned thoughtful as she questioned: "What do you think about Yugi-kun and Otomya-kun? Do you think they might be a good couple?"

"Oh, so you've heard the rumour too", Hikaru said and Anzu wondered what rumour she was talking about but before she could ask about it the other girl already continued: "It's pretty hard to say. I mean, Yugi-kun is adorable that he could make any coupling look good but Otomya-kun is just…dark."

"Dark?" Anzu questioned and gave the other girl a curious look, who nodded her head once before explaining: "There's something dangerous in the way he carries himself. All the girls seem to find it an attractive feature but it's magnetic to only those who seek out a bit of adventure. I doubt Yugi-kun is into something like that, not to mention Otomya-kun doesn't really give off an air of a person who's interested in having a relationship."

Clicking her tongue Anzu gave the statement some thought before answering: "Well, as I recall, Jou-kun was once considered danger on two feet. What makes Otomya-kun so different in your eyes?"

"Jounouchi-kun isn't exactly acting like he was before", Hikaru pointed out and Anzu had to agree. "He is a lot less threatening now and if Kaiba-kun had not so clearly stated interest in him then girls would be crowding him."

"It's true that Jou-kun is a lot less of a delinquent now than he was last year but does it really affect the way people see him that much?" Anzu questioned curiously. Sure Anzu saw Jou in a different light nowadays, but she had thought it was just because the two of them were now friends and Anzu got to see the blond's better side. Now Hikaru was telling her that others had noticed Jou's change of behaviour as well even without actually spending time with him.

There was a short laugh from Hikaru before the girl started to elaborate: "It's like this. Before Jounouchi-kun was all: 'piss me off and I'll bite you'. Now he's like: 'pet me, I'm cute'." The girl released another bark of laughter. "Not to mention no one has ever been able to claim that he isn't attractive to look at."

"I see", Anzu muttered slowly and Hikaru continued: "It's almost like someone tamed him over the summer." The girl shook her head before continuing: "If you don't know what I'm talking about, then just look at him."

Anzu did look at Jou. The blond was currently attempting to explain something to Kaiba while the brunet fiddled with some of the shorter boy's locks with his long fingers. Now that she really thought about it, last year Kaiba would have earned himself a punch in the face for such actions but now Jou was sporting an embarrassed flush on his cheeks while he simply attempted to push the hand invading his personal space away.

"Hm, I guess you're right", Anzu commented and Hikaru looked like she was about to say something more when Bakura's voice called: "Yo, Mazaki! I'm going to be needing that 'Maid C' for this scene! Mind not distracting her with gossip?"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep your pants on Mr. Director", Anzu snapped back and turned to Hikaru. "It was fun talking."

"Sure was"; Hikaru agreed with a grin. "And it's not like it matters whether or not Otomya-kun and Yugi-kun fit. It's not very likely that they would end up together." And with that the girl rushed off to take her place for the scene.

'Not very likely?' Anzu thought sceptically. 'Well, we are going to make it likely…'

&

When the play practise finally came to an end Seto was forced to wait until Yami was finished with his goodbyes to Yugi before he could finally leave. The reason why Seto did not march out of the auditorium the second Katsuya had left was that Yami had managed to convince Seto to 'come over and play some games' after school. It was a mystery to even the brunet himself how the star-haired midget had managed to convince him to participate in such a useless activity. But, considering that the midget in question had managed to rope Seto into walking with him to school, the brunet did not think that it was worth it to look too much into it.

"Okay then", Yami spoke as soon as he had rushed over to Seto, who had been tapping his foot impatiently in front of the auditorium doors. "Are you ready to go?"

"I've been ready to go for fifteen minutes", Seto snapped in an irate manner before pushing the door next to him open. "You were the one taking forever to leave." The two made their way out of the auditorium and through the school hallways. "Honestly, the next time you're going to see him is tomorrow, not three years away."

"We had to compare our schedules so that we can arrange our practise sessions", Yami defended and Seto shook his head at the pointlessness that was Yami's big plan to get himself more opportunities to kiss Yugi.

"Look, it doesn't matter now", Seto grunted before the two exited the school building. "There was something I needed to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Yami questioned with a long drawl. "What ever could that be?"

"You're not the only one who has succeeded in making some changes in your relationship predicament", Seto replied and Yami looked sceptical before commenting: "You did not seem to be making any positive changes judging from what I could see during the practise."

"Looks can be deceiving", was the response given by the brown-haired teen and Yami immediately took the bait my urging his companion: "Do tell then."

"I've finally made noticeable progress", Seto spoke and the star-haired teen lifted an eyebrow at this, prompting the brunet to elaborate. Seto smiled to himself in a very pleased manner as he continued: "Katsuya has prohibited me from coming to watch the play practise."

"Uh…" Yami started in a confused manner, rubbing the back of his head. "How is that a good thing?"

A smirk spread on Seto's face then, followed by the brunet saying: "It's a good thing because he admitted to me being a distraction for him."

"Oh", came from Yami. Seto's smirk turned into a thin grin a moment before the blue-eyed teen spoke: "I'm going to need your help now."

"With what?" Yami asked curiously. "Am I finally going to see your grand scheme?"

"Yes", Seto replied easily. "I need you to tell me when you have managed to get the play working, since at that time Katsuya will have more free time."

"I see", Yami said and then questioned eagerly. "What's going to happen then? What have you been planning?"

A devious chuckle came from Seto as the brunet dug through his school bag, pulling out an item that immediately clued Yami in on what was the next step in Seto's plan.

"What are you doing with a script?" Yami questioned with a frown. "I thought you said that you weren't interested in acting."

"Ah, but I merely wish to help in the class project", Seto spoke with false innocence that Yami saw through easily. "I heard that there aren't many substitute actors available in case of sickness or the like." The brunet smirked at Yami once more before drawling out: "But, since I'm coming along so late I'm probably going to need help in memorizing the script."

Comprehension finally came to Yami's face and the star-haired teen chuckled in an amused manner before commenting: "That's brilliant. So damn brilliant."

"I thought you'd think that", Seto replied. Of course, Seto was not planning to only have this step as his advantage. There was still a lot more to his plan that Yami did not yet no about. And the star-haired teen would not need to know about the rest either.

"So, what else do you have planned?" Yami asked then, still curious.

"What makes you think I have anything more planned?" Seto questioned, wondering when Yami learned to read minds.

"Well, it's just that you've been scheming even before this whole play thing", Yami replied. "I was wondering what the 'big one' is."

"Aren't you the observant one", Seto commented, not very pleased to find out that Yami's curiosity was not quite yet sated. "How about I tell you when we actually get that far?"

"You really can be so boring sometimes", Yami muttered but did not press the issue, having learned by now that Seto did not part with his secrets easily. "But sure, I'll tell you when we have everything under control at play practise. It shouldn't take that long."

"Okay then", Seto said with a nod of his head. "In the meantime you can concentrate on getting closer to Yugi." Because that was the one part in Seto's plan that would affect its success, but the brunet was not about to tell that to Yami.

"Speaking of which, we will be having our first kissing lesson tomorrow", Yami said with a wide grin that had Seto grimacing as the brunet groaned: "Please spare me the details."

Yami did not seem to even hear Seto's objection as he continued on: "I mean, officially we will be practising our lines but Yugi did agree on practising our big kissing scene as well."

"Yami!" Seto snapped, cutting the star-haired teen off before he could continue. "I really do _not_ need, or even want to hear all this. Shut up."

It was with a dismissive huff that Yami grunted: "You have no sense of humour", to which Seto replied: "If having a sense of humour means putting up with talk like that, then I'm happy without it."

&

"So you're having private practise with Otomya again tomorrow?" Jou questioned from Yugi, who nodded his head in confirmation. "That's great to hear. I was worried that things had ended up badly between the two of you when you refused to talk about what happened last time."

Yugi blushed at those words; he could not help it. Whenever someone mentioned the previous practise he and Yami had had in Yugi's living room, the short boy would immediately start thinking about that kiss the two of them had shared, as well as Yami's promise of teaching Yugi how to do it properly. Of course Yugi had been too embarrassed to talk about it, especially to Jou, who would have probably found it all hilarious. Not only had Yugi gotten to kiss Yami, he had only gotten a promise of more kisses to come. Yeah, Yugi could almost hear his friend's barking laughter.

"Yea, well, much didn't really happen last time", Yugi spoke, trying to figure out a way to distract the blond from this topic of conversation. "We just practised our lines and that was it. I really doubt that we will do anything more next time either." There was no way Yugi was going to tell Jou that he was receiving kissing lessons from Yami. He would never hear the end of it if that ever managed to slip.

"Come on, Yugi. Don't be stop negative", Jou said in a friendly manner before pulling out his backpack. While Yugi had been talking with Yami after play practise, Jou had gone home to change his clothes and pick up a video that Yugi had been wanting to watch for ages but had not gotten a chance to because of the rating. Because of his short frame and childish face Yugi could never purchase or rent any movies or games that were meant for older people. Even with his papers in hand everyone refused to believe that the small boy was in high school.

"Is your grandfather home?" Jou asked when he pulled out the video from his bag. Yugi shook his head and then said: "It'll just be the two of us today."

"Great", Jou said with a wide grin. "Then we can turn up the volume on this thing. It gives all the scenes that much more effect." With that the blond punched the video into the player. "Turn the lights off, Yugi."

With a sigh Yugi did as he was told, even though personally he thought that he would prefer watching the movie with the lights on at least. There was this small thing about watching horror movies with Jou that got on Yugi's nerves; the blond insisted on setting the right atmosphere but this only resulted in him screaming even louder than the female protagonist in many parts throughout the movie. Yugi always ended up being more scared of his friend than the movie, since Jou really did not go well together with horror movies; no matter how much he liked watching them he never seemed to get over his instinct to cry out in terror whenever something went 'bump' during the film.

"It's starting", Jou commented pleasantly while sitting next to Yugi on the couch. Yugi did not really share his friend's enthusiasm, though. If he had been a sadistic person things would have been different but since Yugi was no such person then he could not get pleasure from the shrieking that was about to come Jou within the next two hours.

There was, of course, always the option to learn to be a bit sadistic and it was not too late for Yugi to learn new things. Not to mention Yugi would be screaming himself soon enough if this movie was as scary as everyone had claimed.

In the end, the one who ended up screaming the other's ear off turned out to be Yugi, even though both of the boys ended up with sore throats.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: The purpose of that last scene was to point out that Yugi is too embarrassed to talk about his and Yami's kiss with his friends. Other than that it was mostly filler.


	19. A Play Date

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 19**

**A Play Date**

'What is wrong with me?' Yugi thought in panic when he could not stay still for longer than ten seconds. It was still fifteen minutes to when Yami was supposed to arrive and yet Yugi was already going insane with anticipation. And it was no wonder since Yami was going to teach Yugi how to kiss, as odd as that sounded.

Adjusting the pillows on the couch for the umpteenth time Yugi wondered if he should check his breathing. There was no way Yami would want to kiss him if his breath smelled. Yugi also worried about his choice in attire. He was wearing baggy, cream-colored cargo pants and a black t-shirt he had gotten from Jou when the blond had found out Yugi's dirty little secret, which happened to be that the boy was a huge fan of a western heavy metal band. Yugi was wondering if he should go and change the shirt, just in case Yami did not like the band in question. He also thought briefly if the lose shirt made him look even scrawnier than he was and contemplated the option of dressing in something form fitting. In the end Yugi started to lean against it since the large shirt fir well with his lose pants and he was not about to change those since they would hide any 'effects' kissing Yami might have on him.

Yugi's jumbled thoughts all shattered from a fierce blow from unadulterated fear when he heard the bell above the game shop door jingle. No, Yugi refused to admit that he was actually listening out to the sound. The bell was just surprisingly loud.

Tip toeing silently to the door to the shop Yugi peeked around the corner and squished down a feeling of disappointment when the new arrival was not Yami. The crimson-eyed youth would not be arriving in another twelve minutes. That was more than enough time to deal with the person who_ had_ arrived.

"Anzu", Yugi spoke out as he walked into the shop. The girl instantly flashed him a bright smile and blinked in surprise when she saw his attire.

"What's with the getup, Yugi?" Anzu questioned and Yugi groaned before grumbling: "It looks that bad? I knew I should have put on something else!"

"No, no! It's not like that!" Anzu exclaimed hurriedly. "It's just a bit unlike you. I haven't seen you dress like that before." The girl paused for a moment before smiling teasingly and continuing: "So, what's the occasion? Is Yami coming over?"

"Uh", Yugi uttered, certain that he was blushing scarlet. "Y-yeah. What do you think?" He spread his arms a bit and got an approving nod from Anzu before the girl spoke: "It looks good. Very cool, actually."

"Thank you", Yugi said with a calmer blush on his cheeks now. He then looked at the brunette curiously. "What are you doing here? You don't usually show up without calling first."

"I have a bit of a dilemma", Anzu confessed and Yugi thought he could see her blush. "I just wanted to talk to someone, though. Nothing more than that. I really should have called." The girl tapped the nail of her forefinger against her teeth in thought. "I could call Jou-kun and see if he can find the time. He would be the better option since he's the closest thing I have to a female friend."

"Do you have to talk that way about Jou?" Yugi asked in an embarrassed manner. "It always gives me this creepy image of Jou dressed in drag with his hair curled up and horrible exaggerated make-up smearing his face beyond recognition." The boy shivered at the thought. "I'd prefer not thinking about that when I have…"

"When you have a stud coming over", Anzu finished for him and giggled with mirth. "Don't worry. Jou is actually pretty good at applying make-up. I think Mai taught him how to."

"Anzu…" Yugi drawled in a strained tone of voice. "_Why_ would this information be in any way interesting to me?"

"Good point", Anzu muttered before smiling in a calming manner. "At any matter, I'm done now. And you know…" The girl's expression held a mischievous tone that had Yugi apprehensive. "If Yami gets you too…excited, you can just conjure that image up to make it better."

"Anzu!" Yugi almost shrieked as his face burned once more. Anzu only giggled some more and Yugi grumbled: "Jou has been a bad influence on you."

"I don't think I mind", Anzu confessed in an all-too joyous manner. "I never had this much fun before his influence." The girl gave Yugi a short wave. "Buh bye, I'm off to see if my girlfriend's free." And with that Anzu skipped out of the game shop while Yugi spluttered uncontrollably, which came to an abrupt halt when Yugi saw the person who entered at the exact same moment Anzu exited through the door.

"Good afternoon, Otomya-kun", Anzu greeted Yami as she passed, to which the boy in question muttered back: "Afternoon, Mazaki." Then Anzu was gone and Yugi was left alone with Yami, who was watching him with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Uh! Hi, Yami!" Yugi greeted suddenly and quickly and Yami shot him a brief smile before replying: "Hello, Yugi." The crimson-eyed teen walked closer to Yugi. "Why are you blushing? Is it because your girlfriend dropped by?"

"My_ what_?" Yugi exclaimed incredulously. "No! She's not my girlfriend! I'm not that way!" And then the boy clamped his mouth shut to stop himself from saying anything else stupid while he cursed himself in his mind. That had definitely not been smooth of him.

"You're not what way?" Yami questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "Straight? You're gay then?"

Yugi felt his cheeks burn from both shame at his predicament and anxiousness from the close proximity Yami was with him. Still, the boy managed to gather up his courage enough to utter: "Yes, I'm gay." 'For you', Yugi thought in his head but was not about to add it in.

"I see", Yami spoke and again that thoughtful look was back. "That explains why having to kiss another guy didn't upset you."

"Y-yea, I guess", Yugi stuttered embarrassedly and attempted to salvage what he could of the day. "If you want to get started, I have some snacks in the kitchen that we can indulge in while we go through our lines."

"Okay", Yami said with a nod and Yugi turned around so that he could escape to the kitchen to calm down. "I'll help out." And with those words Yugi's plan was crushed as the boy was forced to have Yami walk _right next to him_ as they made their way to the apartment at the back of the game shop and went to the kitchen to get the snacks Yugi had mentioned. And even as they brought them to the living room Yami's presence was so close to Yugi that there was not way he could have ignored it and so he was blushing enough to be worried that he might faint from the lack of blood running through his body.

After they had set everything down on the table Yugi turned to Yami and spoke as politely as he could in his nervous state: "You can sit down while I get us something to drink. Do you have any requests? We have tea, coke and some pear juice."

"I think I'll have a soda", Yami said with that oh-so-charming smile of his and Yugi floated into the kitchen in a happy state brought on by simply seeing that expression.

While reaching into the refrigerator for two cans of soda, Yugi wondered about the way Yami had been so interested in his sexual orientation. He had actually seemed happier with knowing Yugi was gay than he had been while he had been thinking that he was straight. Did that mean that Yami was interested in him, like Jou had been insisting all this time?

Yugi shook his head and closed the fridge door. It would not do for him to think about these things now when Yami was in the next room. It would only make Yugi act strange around the other teen if he kept on worrying about how Yami felt about him. There would be enough time for thinking later on after the practise.

"Here's your drink", Yugi spoke when he entered the living room, walking over to the couch to hand a can to Yami. The crimson-eyed teen accepted the drink and muttered a thanks before his gaze directed itself to Yugi's chest.

"You like their music?" Yami questioned as he indicated at the shirt. Yugi glanced down at the garment in question, only just then remembering about his choice of dress.

"Uh, yeah", Yugi replied, feeling awfully self-conscious all of a sudden. He looked back at Yami's face who was giving him an approving look as he spoke: "I think they're pretty good too." The tan teen shrugged his shoulders. "Seto hates them so it's fun to run into someone who thinks like me."

"I aim to please", Yugi said with a wide grin, something he would have never done before he started to hang out with Jou. Yami also shot a grin in response and chuckled, the deep rumble almost turning Yugi into goo.

"Let's get started then", Yami finally spoke before digging out his script and Yugi sat down next to the crimson-eyed teen so that they could get started with their practise.

&

Anzu hesitated briefly after leaving the game shop, wondering if it was okay to leave Yugi all alone. In the end she decided that the best thing she could do to Yugi was leave him alone with his crush so that the two could bond at peace. Maybe, if everything went well, Yugi would get closer to Otomya.

As the girl walked down the street she pulled out her cell phone. Not about to make the same mistake twice she decided to call to her next destination instead of just showing up unannounced. It was very likely that Jou would be less tolerant than Yugi towards surprise guests.

The cell beeped a couple of times before there was the sound of someone answering, followed by Jou's familiar voice speaking out: "Yea."

"Hi, Jou-kun", Anzu replied cheerfully before questioning: "Do you have any free time right now?"

There was brief thoughtful pause before Jou spoke once more: "It depends on what you plan to use with any time I might have."

Jou's sceptical attitude towards anything Anzu might plan was slightly amusing but Anzu did not really have time to play with the blond. She decided to be truthful and replied: "I was wondering if I could drop by for a while. There's something I'd like to talk about with you."

"Well, I guess it's alright", Jou said and Anzu could imagine the blond boy sprawling on whatever surface he was currently on. "You can help me with my math homework while you're here."

An expression that was a mix of being amused and displeased came to Anzu's face when she heard Jou's terms. It was something that the girl should have known to expect. It was not that long after school so naturally Jou would still be struggling with his math homework. But, then again, Jou had asked for her help and Anzu would never deny a friend of hers help when requested, and sometimes even when it was not requested.

"Sure thing", Anzu spoke out. "I'll see you in a while then and I'll help you finish if you still have work to do when I arrive."

A brief chuckle came from Jou, followed by the boy saying: "You can count on one thing, Anzu: it's going to take me ages to finish these exercises."

"Alright then", Anzu said with a nod. "But I will have you know that you _will_ be listening to me afterwards."

"I don't doubt that", Jou answered with amusement in his tone. "See ya."

"See you", Anzu returned before cutting off the call and tucking the cell phone away. Then she started to head towards where Jou lived, wondering just how long she and the blond would be going through calculations before she would get to tell her big news to her friend. She could hardly contain herself when she had marched into the game shop but then she had been distracted by Yugi's strange appearance in something other than his school uniform, since the short boy seemed to wear nothing other than that. Now, however, Anzu was once again burning to shout out a declaration to the world. Still, she would need to hold it in for a while longer and perhaps she could drop some hints to Jou while they went through those math problems.

&

"I love only you", Yami spoke and Yugi found himself struggling to keep the words from affecting him. His eyes fell away from Yami's face, not daring to look into those crimson orbs in fear of revealing his feelings to the other. They were just lines from the play, lines Jou had written, and Yami was merely reciting them. There were no real emotions behind those words but no matter how many times Yugi told himself that he could not focus on the words enough to really register them.

"Uh, I think this would be easier if we stood up", Yami spoke suddenly and Yugi's startled eyes snapped up to Yami's own. Yugi was so focused on the deep red of those clear eyes that he did not notice the blush that had risen on the other's cheeks.

Yami got up from the couch and offered Yugi his hand. The shorter boy did not question Yami's actions and took a hold of the darker hand, allowing Yami to help him stand up as well. That was when Yugi finally noticed the tense atmosphere that had fallen while he had been occupied with his thoughts. Yami even looked nervous and Yugi did not know why.

"Yugi", Yami started and Yugi saw the other's throat move as the other swallowed. "Ah, I think this is as good of a time as any for our other practise, since it belongs to the scene, right?" Yami's eyes slid away from Yugi's own, something Yugi could not remember them doing once in all the time he had spent with the taller teen. Yami was nervous about starting their kissing practise but had suggested it anyway. That saved Yugi the embarrassment of doing it and it also explained the anxious vibes Yugi was feeling.

"Sure", Yugi said, toning down his eagerness so that he would not be too suspicious. He hesitated for a moment before laying his hands on Yami's shoulders and querying: "Is this okay?" At Yami's nod he took a breath and smiled encouragingly. "It's nothing we haven't done before, Yami. And if I remember correctly, it was I who initiated last time." The short boy dared to release a short laugh. "I don't think I'm going to freak out this time around either." Even though Yugi _had_ freaked out in the privacy of his own room after the practise but that was not something Yami needed to know.

"Okay", Yami breathed out and took a deep breath. "Here I come", the teen whispered and brought his hands to Yugi's waist, causing the shorter boy to be overcome with a feeing of warmth. The next sensation Yugi became aware of was the feeling of Yami's lips against his own.

The kiss lasted a lot longer than Yugi's previous stolen kiss. That one had been nothing more than a brief brush of lips that had not given Yugi any knowledge on how Yami's lips felt or tasted. This new kiss answered that first problem; they were warm and soft, perhaps slightly moist. Getting the second question answered would have required Yugi to use his tongue but the small teen did not dare to attempt such a bold move so he kept his mouth firmly shut and moved them almost minimally against Yami's own, which were all but devouring Yugi's lips in a greedy manner.

After a while Yami pulled back and was breathing heavily, unlike Yugi who had been focusing on drawing in breath through his nose in an effort to not get completely lost in the kiss. Yugi watched Yami's face carefully and saw that the red eyes were once again refusing to meet his own. Yugi released a sigh and his cheeks heated as he muttered: "Was it that bad?"

"It's a good first try", Yami insisted quickly, looking at Yugi's face again. "That's what we're here for, right? To make it better."

"Right", Yugi mumbled in an embarrassed manner. He really was not going to be impressing Yami with his kissing skills but who could blame the boy? He had never been kissed or had ever kissed anyone before. He sighed again and spoke: "Let's try again, then?"

"I'm right behind you", Yami answered and leaned in again. Right before his lips met with Yugi's own again he muttered: "It's okay to open your lips a bit, Yugi. It makes this feel less like it's only one-sided."

Yugi nodded mutely, feeling rather ashamed of making Yami do all the work. He parted his lips ever so slightly and this time Yami's lips slid around them in a manner that felt a lot less awkward.

Closing his eyes Yugi decided that he could get used to doing this right before all thoughts slipped away from him. The new kiss was a lot better than the new one, the two pairs of lips sliding across each other slowly and firmly. Occasionally the two parted for air but those pauses were never long and soon enough the two teens forgot all about the fact that they were in the middle of a practise. It was much more appealing to simply keep on kissing.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Yay for YamixYugi snogging! Next time we will see what Anzu's big news are.


	20. Big News

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 20**

**Big News**

"Aa-and, I'm done", Jou drawled before leaning back from his math homework. The blond boy looked extremely satisfied with himself and Anzu glanced over to the calculations scribbled down into the notebook resting on the table. She opened the back pages from the math book and checked the correct answer before nodding her head in approval and speaking out: "It's correct." She closed the book. "You're improving. It took you only three attempts before you got it right."

"Thanks", Jou said with a wide grin. Leaning his elbow on the desk he then said in a questioning tone: "You had something you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Yea", Anzu answered with an affirming nod. "I have big news."

"You're getting married?" Jou said with a clearly faked horrified expression. "You don't even have a man yet!"

"That's not what I meant!" Anzu snapped. She slapped the blond's arm, not appreciating the other's attempt at cracking a joke. "It's something I wanted to tell someone."

"Why not Yugi then?" Jou questioned. "He's more tolerable of your whatever."

"My 'whatever'?" Anzu questioned incredulously. She huffed at the blond's choice of words before answering: "Yugi has play practise with Otomya-kun. He was all dressed up for the occasion when I stopped by the game shop."

"Oh?" Jou uttered, lifting his eyebrows in interest. "Little Yugi preened himself for Otomya?" There was a joyous chuckle from the boy. "I never thought he had it in him. Way to go."

Anzu smiled widely at Jou's reaction. The male was such a supportive friend and the sincere happiness he felt for Yugi's progress was something Anzu herself knew as well. She and Jou were a lot alike in some ways. It seemed that their relationship with Yugi was one of those things that brought them closer.

"Something happened for me as well", Anzu started and Jou looked at her in a manner that told her that the boy was listening. The brunette smiled before lifting her feet to the edge of her seat and speaking out: "You see, that statement you made about me not having a man was incorrect. I _do_ actually have a man."

"Who?" Jou questioned with a deep frown. His brown eyes narrowed and darkened in a serious manner and Anzu was once again reminded of Jou's capabilities. She felt a bit nervous, having once again forgotten just who Jounouchi Katsuya was. First and foremost the blond determined himself as a strong fighter, his position as Anzu's gay friend came only second.

"Uh", the girl started and suddenly felt a lot more awkward about talking about this with Jou. Still, she steeled herself and continued: "I have a date with Ryouta-kun this weekend."

"Kajiki?" Jou questioned in a thoughtful mumble. He sat there studying Anzu for a while, like he was measuring the girl up or something. Finally the boy seemed to reach a conclusion of sorts and spoke out: "You do realize he's older than you, right?"

"He's studying his first year in university, big whoop", Anzu grumbled, crossing her arms as the tense atmosphere lessened. "So what? He's a real gentleman, fun to be with and he's good looking to boot too."

"If you feel that way about it then I have no further arguments", Jou replied then, lifting his hands up in surrender. "If you're willing to stand up for him then you definitely want to do this." The blond flashed his usual bright grin then, before adding: "Still, that does not mean that I'm willing to help you choose an outfit."

"Like I'd want any fashion advice from _you_", Anzu shot back, sticking her tongue out at the other teen in a display of uncharacteristic childishness, which caused Jou to merely grin wider.

&

Satisfaction was the first level of emotion that made through Yami's thick curtain of focus. He had been intent on teaching Yugi how to kiss properly and now that the shorter boy seemed to be getting the hang of it, Yami got a lot more out of the kiss. He was satisfied with the level Yugi's performance had reached in such a short time but he also felt pleasure from the thought that this was Yugi of all people, and that only he alone had gotten to kiss the soft, full lips moving against his own.

It was there and then that Yami reached a whole new level of understanding, even though he was not aware of much anything else other than Yugi's taste in his mouth and the boy's scent in his nose. After this was over and done with Yami would realize that he could suddenly relate to Seto; he would do anything to make this permanently his.

Yugi fit into his arms perfectly and Yami pulled the smaller body tight against his as his hands started to travel lower down Yugi's back. Yugi's hands were wrapped around the back of Yami's head and the shorter teen was letting out small sounds of contentment.

This was far cry from merely practising kissing but Yami was too far gone to realize that he was making out with his crush and that it would be the only clue Yugi, or anyone else for that matter, needed to prove his feelings towards his classmate. But did that really matter? Yugi had said that he was not uncomfortable with kissing Yami, he had even admitted to being gay. There was a very high chance of Yugi finding Yami appealing to him and Yami was certain to try his hardest to assure that to be true.

There was a fire burning inside Yami, pumping flames through the teen's veins, fuelling a desire that Yami had not gotten too acquainted with before then. He knew he wanted Yugi and he did not have enough presence of mind to be aware that he was seriously going against Seto's advice to 'take it slow'.

The next thing Yami was aware of was his hands going down to grip Yugi's behind and push the other boy's hips against his but that notion was interrupted by the loud shrill of the telephone. Yugi instantly pulled away from Yami even as Yami tried to keep the kiss going, causing a loud 'smack' to sound in the living room before Yugi's laboured breathing sounded clearly in the close proximity even as the phone continued to right.

"I really need to get that", Yugi managed to gasp out before turning around and staggering as quickly as he could to the hallway where the phone was, leaving Yami to stared after him as the crimson-eyed teen was too dazed to realize that he had just been foiled.

"Damn!" Yami snarled as he turned around and plopped down on the living room couch. Now he was feeling all hot and bothered without a soft body to take it out on. And that, Yami decided in his feverish mind, was the worst possible punishment he could get. If he ever found out just who it was that had dared to call in such a critical moment, he would destroy them without any sense of mercy.

What seemed like an eternity passed, even though a glance at the clock told Yami that it was actually closer to five minutes, and then Yugi finally returned into the room. Too bad Yami had completely lost the mood to make out or possibly do something more so continuing where they had left off did not seem like a possibility. Yami was actually starting to feel a bit embarrassed about getting carried away like that. And embarrassment was the worst possible mood breaker.

"Who was it, if you don't mind me asking", Yami spoke out in a friendly tone, simply unable to keep hold of his disappointment and anger in face of Yugi's cherubic features. Yugi gave him a weak smile and Yami instantly knew something was wrong even before the boy spoke: "It was my grandpa. Something came up." The boy shook his head then and the smile on his face widened even though it still looked shallow to Yami. "He needs me to run some errands for him so I will have to cut our practise session short."

'Oh, so that's what this is about', Yami thought to himself. 'He's feeling guilty and doesn't know how I will react.' A reassuring smile spread on the tan teen's face before he started to speak: "It's alright, Yugi. You couldn't have possibly seen that coming." He tilted his head to the side a bit, hoping to give off an air of being at ease to calm Yugi down. "We managed to go through many of our scenes today so I don't mind if we finish a bit sooner." Yami thought once again about how fast of a learner Yugi had proven to be in the art of kissing. "I don't think this will render our progress much, if at all."

"Okay", Yugi said with a nod, looking a lot more relieved as his smile became more sincere. "I'm glad that you think we made progress even though I would have preferred for us to be able to go through all the scenes."

In Yami's lovesick mind Yugi's words translated to: 'I would have preferred to spend more time with you', and the last of the crimson-eyed teen's disappointment over being interrupted faded away. There would be more chances and maybe it would do Yami some good to take a leaf out of Seto's book and display some patience. He had, after all, almost gone too fast back there. He did not think that the innocent Yugi would have appreciated it if Yami groped him so soon. The shorter teen would probably be the type to want at least one date before anything like that. So, that left Yami with the decision on how to ask the boy out.

Getting up from the couch Yami decided to ponder on that more in the privacy of his own room back home and spoke to Yugi: "Thanks a lot for this, Yugi." He flashed the boy a wide smile. "I really enjoyed myself today." And that was no lie.

A slight blush was on Yugi's cheeks and Yami wondered if the innocent boy had managed to catch on to the other meaning in his words but did not get any answer to the questions as Yugi merely mumbled back: "I'm glad you did." Then the shorter male turned a bit so that Yami could walk past him out of the living room. "Maybe next time we will be able to have a longer practice."

The two made their way through the game shop and before Yami left through the door he turned around and said: "I sure hope so. We can even have the practise at my place, just in case." There was a mute nod from Yugi in response and before Yami could think about the decision twice the taller teen bent down and placed a chaste kiss on Yugi's lips.

"You're a fast learner, Yugi. You really seemed to get the hang of it in the end", Yami spoke and was satisfied to see the shorter boy blush the darkest shade of red he had ever seen. Unable to keep himself from adding on a bit he added: "Maybe it's me who will end up learning something, hmm?" And that said Yami finally made his way out the door. "See you at school tomorrow."

"Y-yeah", Yugi's voice stuttered from behind him weakly. "See you." Then the door clicked shut but Yami could still see Yugi through the glass so, as he walked down the street, he waved a bit at the other teen, who lifted his hand shyly in response. All in all the day had been quite successful.

&

The day was shaping out to be a disaster. Not only was Yugi forced to cut his day with Yami short but now his crush knew about his sexual orientation and Yugi could not decide if the crush in question had been affected by their kissing at all or not, because Yugi himself definitely had been affected _a lot_ and yet Yami had seemed to be perfectly fine.

With a sigh Yugi started to flip through the folder his grandfather had told him about on the phone. Now Yugi was supposed to find the contact information of the man who was supposed to take care of the game shop's next playing card shipment and make sure that the cards arrived on the date that had been agreed on. It was a boring thing to do and Yugi would have preferred to spend time with Yami but it was something that needed to be done and Yugi's mother could not, having left for a meeting so that they could get some of the newer games into the shop.

There were a few other calls that Yugi needed to make after that one and the boy managed to get almost completely done with them before there came the sound of knocking from the front door of the shop. Yugi wondered who could be so persistent to get in since the sign on the door was turned to show 'closed' and decided to take a peek into the shop. The house phone was of the cordless sort so Yugi could still keep the conversation going as he took the handset with him.

When Yugi came to the shop he stopped for a moment to stare in wonder. He had never expected to see this particular person at his door. He really considered the option of not opening the door but Sariko Bakura had pressed his face against the door's glass pane and had already spotted Yugi. The white-haired teen grinned widely at Yugi, reminding the shorter teen of a carnivorous beast, and wiggled his fingers in a wave of greeting.

Yugi still did not want to open the door but he did not want to get on Sariko's bad side either. In the end he decided that the lesser of two evils would be to just let the albino in and he went to open the door, all the while trying to convince the person on the other end of the phone line that he _was_ authorized to have the information he was requesting.

The door was opened and Yugi immediately lifted a hand to the taller teen's face to make sure that the other did not disturb. He moved his hand and pointed at a tall stool that was standing beside the shop counter. Sariko did not utter a word and walked to the seat Yugi had assigned for him, climbing onto the stool before glancing around the shop with a small amount of interest.

Keeping a wary eye on the new arrival Yugi attempted to concentrate on the conversation he was having at the same time. In the end the short teen managed to get the person on the other end to affirm him of the contract and actually sighed in relief after the line went dead. He shot another glance at Sariko before making his way to the hallway to put the phone back in its proper place. After that he went back to the shop and gave the now bored looking other male his best friendly smile as he spoke: "Hello, Sariko-kun. What brings you here?"

Sariko actually flinched from something Yugi had said before snarling in displeasure: "Don't call me that, runt."

"Runt?" Yugi questioned in a taken back manner. "There's no need to be so rude! Or haven't you head the saying: 'the friend of my friend is my friend'?"

"The only saying I've heard is: 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend until they either lose their usefulness or the opportunity to stab them in the back rises.'" The albino grinned viciously at that. "It's a rather good one, even if I do say so myself."

"Right", Yugi said in an awkward manner. He really had to wonder what business Sariko would possibly have with him. Well, the only way to find out was to ask again and maybe he would be more likely to get an answer if he humoured the moody teen.

"So, what are you doing here, Bakura-kun?" Yugi questioned and got a smirk from the albino this time before the taller teen replied: "I'm here to offer my services to you."

"Excuse me?" Yugi uttered incredulously and Bakura instantly elaborated: "I'm the director and that could prove to be quite useful to you on your quest for Otomya's affections."

There was something off about that offer, Yugi knew it instantly. Bakura had only a couple of moments ago been anything but friendly with him so it was very unlikely that the taller male was offering Yugi this out of the goodness of his heart.

"What's the catch?" Yugi asked slowly, wondering what he could possibly have that would hold any interest to Bakura.

"Nothing much", Bakura replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Just put in a few good words about me to your pal Jou." The smirk on the teen's face widened. "Something along the lines of 'It was all thanks to Bakura', or 'It was Bakura's brilliant plan', would do it."

There was a short pause as Yugi hesitated about speaking his thoughts out loud. Finally he decided to just go for it and spoke out: "You do realize that Jou is pretty much taken, right?"

"Really?" Bakura drawled in a clearly sarcastic manner. "That's why I wanted you to speak for me, runt." The albino scoffed with distaste. "If I tried anything with Jou on my own Kaiba would come and clobber me."

In Yugi's mind it was actually a good thing that Bakura was in this predicament. He very much preferred Jou with Kaiba than the albino. Even thought both options frightened him, at least Kaiba did not seem psychotic.

"I think I can handle things myself well enough", Yugi offered in a tone of voice that was almost questioning, since the short boy really did not feel very confident in Bakura's company. Still, Yugi decided that the albino might be able to help him some, and so he spoke: "But, there are some questions I think you might be able to answer for me."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Jou attracts gay guys like honey attracts bees. Well, kind of, even though not all of his suitors are exactly gay. I mean Otogi would go for anything appealing enough and Bakura's preferences change with the weather: on a clear day he wants a guy, on a rainy day he wants a girl and at nighttime he wants both, preferably at the same time.

On another note, our dear Bakura seriously needs himself some Ryou-loving.


	21. Deception

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 21**

**Deception**

"Oh?" Bakura questioned in a curious manner, lifting an eyebrow at the shorter teen. Yugi nodded his head in affirmation to both Bakura and himself that he was going to do this and then asked: "Do people ever kiss just for the fun of it?" In movies people only kissed when they were in love but with so many people around Yugi having gained experience in kissing without having been in love the boy was starting to doubt that observation.

"I've never kissed for any other reason", Bakura replied instantly, without a moment's hesitation. "I've never had sex for any other reason either." The way the taller teen said this indicated that he did not think much of it but Yugi was surprised as he gasped: "You don't have to be in love in order to kiss?"

"Hell no", Bakura said with a loud and rude snort. "Kissing is pleasurable. That's why it's done." The teen shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I could kiss even you. You look just my type: submissive and soft to the touch."

Ignoring the blush that rose to his cheeks from Bakura's admission Yugi questioned: "What about Jou then? He doesn't really fit that description so why are you so focused on him?" Jou was anything but submissive and soft, at least as far as Yugi knew. He was able to only guess but the blond in question was in such a good shape that he should be expected to have a harder body more than a soft one.

"That's an easy question to answer", Bakura said in an amused manner, grinning widely at Yugi. "I like him, that's all."

"Right", Yugi muttered more to himself than Bakura. "So kissing feels good every time you do it? No matter who it's with?"

"It depends on whether you find that person attractive or not and how good of a kisser they are", Bakura replied easily. "I mean, I wouldn't enjoy kissing a person I think is not my type, no matter how good at it they were, yet I can kiss an inexperienced person if they look good enough."

"So it all comes down to looks and skills?" Yugi questioned, feeling a bit of sadness creep into his mind. Yami had both of those two features so who was to say that Yugi was not simply enjoying the kisses instead of liking Yami as a person?

"No, there's more to it than just that", Bakura grumbled in a slightly displeased tone. "Didn't you listen to me properly? Your tastes also matter. It depends on what kind of style of kissing you like and also what kind of a partner you like and the latter is determined by both looks and personality." The albino sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. "Seriously, didn't we go through this just a moment ago with that Jou-issue?"

There was a hum of acknowledgement from Yugi but the boy did not make any further sounds. He was now thinking about all the things Bakura had told him and compared them to his experiences, trying to find out just what it had been about Yami's kiss that had gotten him so hot and bothered. Had it been Yami's skill, his body, his presence or a mix of all three?

"Is there anything else you need to ask?" Bakura asked and Yugi was brought out of those musings to try and come up with an answer to the question. Finally the small boy came to the conclusion that he was confused enough already and shook his head, saying: "Nah, that would be all. Thanks for the help, Bakura-kun."

"Don't mention it", the other male said as he got up from his seat. "Just remember to tell Jou that it was _me_ who answered your questions."

A sigh was blown out from between Yugi's lips before the boy replied: "Of course", and watched Bakura make his way to the door. "Bye, Bakura-kun."

"Yea", the albino answered and lifted his hand in something that was probably supposed to be a wave. "See ya."

After the other boy was gone Yugi could not help but wonder if this made him and Bakura something akin to friends, although he was not completely sure if he wanted the answer to be yes.

&

The next day at school was pretty hectic since all teachers seemed to have gotten the same brilliant idea of handing out an independent study assignment to the students to see how well they could find and use information that was not only written on the blackboard for them to copy. To put it simply, they were supposed to do research on a subject given by the teacher and hand in a complete report by the next week. And as if that were not enough, this process would be repeated for three or four different subjects.

Even though Yugi did not have anything particular against studying, this new load of work was stretching even his tolerance. Surprisingly enough, out of their group it was Jou who attempted to stay positive, commenting cheerfully on how happy he was that the assignments were to be completed independently. The answer to the question of why that would possibly be a good thing was that if the assignments had been ordered to be done in pairs, Jou would have had to fight Bakura and Kaiba off with a stick. This statement was followed by Anzu making a comment about Jou being very unlikely to actually mind the latter one of his suitors, after which Jou flushed scarlet and refused to say another word to the brunette for the next five minutes it took for him to forgive and forget.

To his great disappointment Yugi only saw Yami momentarily throughout the day. The taller teen did not seem to have time for anything more than to just greet Yugi in passing, even though those greetings were accompanied by the other's irresistible smile every single time.

By the time the classes were over Yugi had decided that he would seek Yami out. Since the two were studying chemistry, the last class of the day, in different groups Yugi would not catch Yami by simply sticking around his classroom after the lesson.

When Yugi was making his way to the classroom where Yami's lesson was supposed to be held in he did not run into the crimson-eyed youth. It should have been easy for Yugi to spot the other teen with his distinguishable haircut but since there was no sign of Yami's wide mane of hair, or the towering form of Kaiba that always accompanied it at that matter, Yugi was forced to conclude that Yami had left before Yugi's arrival.

Disappointed, Yugi was so focused on pouting his frustrations out that he did not notice the person approaching him until said person spoke to him: "Ah, there you are, Yugi-kun. I've been looking for you the whole day."

Surprised, Yugi jumped a bit before turning his head to look at the cheerfully smiling face of Misa, managing to utter out a greeting without sounding too startled: "Hello, Misa-chan." He offered the girl a friendly smile. "What did you need me for?"

"Uh, I just needed to tell you that Otomya-kun won't be making it for our practise today", Misa replied and Yugi fought back a disappointed expression. He did not want to hurt Misa's feelings by acting too disappointed even though he was not too keen to practise alone with the girl if Yami was not there at all.

"Oh", came out of Yugi's mouth and there was a tinge of a putout tone in his voice even when the utterance was so short. He went through extra-trouble to control his tone and succeeded in sounding casual as he questioned: "Does that mean that the practise is cancelled?"

"Well, there is not reason for it to keep the two of us from practising, is there?" came Misa's answering question. "There are plenty of scenes in the play that we can go through with just the two of us." The girl's tone sounded hopeful to Yugi's ears and the short boy really hated to let people down. Because of that the amethyst-eyed teen replied with: "No, I suppose there isn't." He attempted to look enthusiastic. "Shall we get going then?"

"Certainly!" Misa cheered and took a hold of his arm, starting to drag him towards the exit. "We should not be wasting time."

&

"Weren't you supposed to have practise with that girl and Yugi?" Seto questioned when he and Yami were walking away from the school. "I'm rather surprised that you would throw away time that could be spent with Yugi."

"I hardly call kicking your behind to the next week as throwing away time", Yami shot back. "And Misa said that the she had to cancel the practise for some family business she needed to attend to."

"Did she now?" Seto muttered, deciding not to grant Yami's comment about beating him in any game with an answer. "I wonder what could possibly be so important?"

"Well of course a family obligation goes before something like this", Yami commented in a tone of voice that neared on outraged. "Are you implying that she lied?"

"I don't imply, I accuse", Seto corrected with a frown when his eyes narrowed at something on another street. He spotted two people, one with an easily recognizable haircut, but the pair disappeared behind a corner before the brunet could even consider pointing them out to Yami.

"Okay, so why are you accusing Misa of lying to me?" Yami asked in a displeased tone and Seto turned his gaze back to his companion. "Do you once again know something that I don't?"

"Perhaps", Seto mumbled, partially to himself as he wondered if he should tell Yami just what he knew or not. On one side the information might be useful to Yami but on another the crimson-eyed teen could ruin everything he had managed to achieve with Yugi if he dealt with the situation in the wrong manner.

"I have to wonder how you can be so informed about the gossip going around when you avoid the entire female population of the school like the plague", Yami muttered in a dark tone, to which Seto replied with a brief: "Hn."

"So", Yami drawled expectantly and Seto knew what the shorter boy was about to ask even before he did. "Are you going to tell me what you know about Misa?"

"I know for sure what I just saw", Seto replied, deciding that it would be better if he told Yami what he had discovered, since the other teen would be very persistent to know anything that had something to do with Yugi. Seto gave the shorter male a stern look as he spoke: "I saw that Misa-girl and Yugi disappear around a corner a couple of moments ago. She lied about a family commitment in order to get a chance to be alone with Yugi." The brunet smirked slightly, knowing that the girl held little interest to Yugi. Katsuya had said that Yugi was without a doubt homosexual. "Quite the resourceful girl, isn't she?"

"More like a dead girl", Yami growled and made to turn around but Seto seized him by the arm before the other could storm off to bring his revenge upon anyone. At Yami's scorching glare Seto started to explain his reasoning: "I wouldn't go there if I were you. Misa is very unlikely to have shown her attraction to Yugi just yet and you would confuse Yugi greatly if you rushed to the scene to 'defend his honour' when nothing is going on."

There was a brief pause, after which Yami breathed out: "Damn", and Seto saw it fit to release his grip on the other teen. The crimson eyes turned to Seto and Yami questioned: "What do you suppose I do then?"

"The question is: do you have to do anything", Seto advised in a pleased manner. "Would Yugi even be interested in her? This might all be just one-sided."

"Good point", Yami muttered and crossed his arms as a thoughtful look came on his face. "How do I find that out?"

"Observe Yugi's behaviour", Seto spoke. "If she makes a move Yugi's attitude towards her will not stay neutral. If there is a change you need to see if he seems to be responding to her more openly or in a more closed-off manner. Acting distant means he's not interested and is keeping a distance to avoid giving her the wrong impression."

"Have you read some manuals or something?" Yami asked in an incredulous tone. "You're like a fountain of knowledge on this matter even though you're the most anti-social person I've met."

"It's not my fault that you don't know the least bit about interaction", Seto said nonchalantly with a shrug. "I've been breaking hearts for years now."

"And you still expect Jou to warm up to you with that kind of a reputation?" Yami uttered in a biting manner and Seto answered simply: "I mean I've been rejecting girls' affections for years. I know what to do to make sure that they understand that I don't want what they are offering."

"That's right", Yami said with a nod. "Because you want someone with a di -" A loud yelp cut Yami's words short, coming from the short teen himself when Seto whacked him on the side of his head, hard.

"What's with you and being crude?" Seto questioned in a bored tone of voice. "It's like you have no sense of class at all."

"Well", Yami started, stretching the word in a manner that made him sound lazy, a way the shorter boy did not speak in often but seemed to be the master of. "I used to be a delinquent in my previous schools. That might have something to do with it."

"Schools?" Seto questioned carefully, not sure if he really needed, or wanted, to hear this. "You've been to more than one before Domino High School?"

"Sure", came Yami's flippant answer. "You see, the thing with being a delinquent is that you get suspended and even expelled a great deal of times." The boy starched his hands over his head before clasping them behind his back. "I've been to three schools before Domino High and since my mother was so distraught I decided to try and turn over a new leaf."

"Ah", Seto commented, not really having much to say to anything like this. "I suppose that has been going well enough?"

"All thanks to you, pal", Yami said with a wide grin and patted Seto on the shoulder, even though he had some difficulties with reaching the body part in question. Seto only groaned before speaking out: "Whatever. I'll never mention the topic again if you just keep from referring to me as 'pal' ever again."

A bright laugh came as the first response Seto received, soon followed by Yami speaking out in a tone of voice that was far too smug: "It's a deal, Seto."

&

"I heard that you've been practising alone with Otomya-kun as well", Misa commented when she and Yugi were taking a short break from their practise to drink some soda. Yugi gave the girl a look that told her to carry on and Misa immediately questioned: "Have you two gone through the scene with that kiss already?"

"Um, yeah", Yugi replied and was very thankful that he did not blush at the memory. Misa nodded her head and then gave him a sympathetic look as she spoke: "It must have been a bit awkward, having to kiss another boy and all."

"No, not really", Yugi replied and Misa looked at him incredulously before asking: "You mean it did not feel uncomfortable at all?"

Shaking his head for emphasis Yugi confirmed: "No, it didn't." 'Only between my legs', was what the boy thought but he was not going to be sharing _that_ bit of information with anyone any time soon.

"Do you mean it felt less uncomfortable than kissing a girl?" Misa questioned and Yugi had to wonder just why the girl was interrogating him about the matter. He did not voice those thoughts, however, and replied: "I wouldn't know. I have never kissed a girl before."

"Well", Misa spoke out, leaning forward in her seat slightly. "You could always try kissing me." She gave Yugi a wide smile. "We're friends, right?"

"I suppose…" Yugi muttered, not at all sure if he wanted to do this. But how else would he know if he felt anything special towards Yami if he did not have anything to compare his experiences to? The boy looked warily at Misa and the girl looked so harmless that the idea of kissing her was actually starting to appeal to Yugi, even if only in the name of getting the answers he needed.

Finally Yugi came to a decision, swallowed a sudden nervous lump in his throat and spoke out: "Okay. Let's do it."

There was an agreeing hum from Misa before the girl moved around the coffee table and sat on the sofa beside Yugi. The close proximity made Yugi feel nervous all over again but the boy forced himself to stay calm as he awkwardly placed his hand on the girl's cheek and started to lean in.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Dun dun dunn!


	22. Exploration

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 22**

**Exploration**

Kissing Misa was a whole deal different from kissing Yami, Yugi decided. It must have been the general difference between kissing boys and girls, considering that the most noticeable difference was that instead of taking control of Yugi like Yami had done, Misa was acting passively, allowing Yugi to set the phase. Unfortunately this also meant that Yugi needed to take the initiative and that was hard to do when he had so little experience in kissing in general.

Still, despite his shortcomings on the experience factor, Yugi tried his best to do what Yami had done with him. He lifted a hand and placed it on Misa's hip while his tongue flicked against the girl's lips. Surprisingly enough the brunette did not seem to react to this nearly as nervously as Yugi had and brought her own tongue to brush against Yugi's without any hesitation.

It was clear that Misa had a lot more experience in kissing than Yugi had and that made Yugi worry about whether or not he could please the girl. After all, Bakura had said that kissing was often about pleasure and it was very likely that Misa thought that way as well.

Pulling back from the girl Yugi wondered what she would think about his 'performance'. Yami had said that he was a fast learner and that he had improved but he had been horrible to begin with. If his progress was enough to make him good, however, was a different matter.

"It's hard to believe you haven't kissed a girl before", Misa commented then, bringing Yugi back from his thoughts. "You certainly seem to know how."

"It was good then?" Yugi questioned, wanting affirmation. Misa smiled at him then, before replying: "You're surprisingly insistent on finding that out, aren't you?" Her expression looked encouraging so Yugi relaxed somewhat. "You were clumsy but it will get better when you do it more. It certainly was like that with my boyfriend in junior high."

Yugi really felt out of the loop when Misa said that last part. The girl had that much dating experience? It made Yugi feel like something of an underachiever but it also meant that Yugi could be very satisfied at getting a compliment out of her.

"So", the girl said with her tone sounding more cheerful as she clearly was going to move the talk away from Yugi's skill or lack thereof. "Now that you had your questions about the kiss it's my turn."

"Um", Yugi started, surprised that Misa would have something to ask from him. "Sure, go ahead", the boy said finally, not seeing any reason to deny the girl that.

"How did you feel when we kissed?" Misa questioned. "Did you feel uncomfortable?"

"No", Yugi replied, shaking his head. To be completely truthful, he had not felt much anything, except for that nervousness about if Misa was going to be displeased with him or not.

"So there's still hope", the girl muttered to herself and Yugi wondered what she meant. Before he got an opportunity to ask, however, Misa had already gotten up from the couch and spoke again, this time louder than her previous words: "Would you still like to continue going through the lines or are you ready to head home already?"

"My mother will be expecting me home soon", Yugi replied. "So, I guess I should be heading off right about now."

"Okay then", Misa said with a nod and after Yugi got up from the couch she lead the way to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at school then", the girl spoke and Yugi nodded his head a bit absent-mindedly before answering: "See you." And those was the last words that the two exchanged before the boy left.

While making his way home Yugi wondered what it meant that the whole experience of kissing Misa had been all in all very disappointing. Maybe he should ask someone to shed light on the situation but Yugi decided that the person would have to be someone other than Bakura. The boy did not think that he would be too comfortable with talking about his actual experiences with the other teen when talking about kissing in general had been so awkward.

Pulling out his cell phone Yugi wondered which of his friends would be the best one to help him make some sense of things. He ran his thumb across the buttons for a while before deciding who to call and he instantly started to look through the phone's memory for the number he needed.

&

When his cell phone rang Katsuya was quick to answer because he had not been doing particularly anything when the call came. Counting smudges on closet doors really was not something that could be considered a real activity so the task was not difficult to abandon in favour of rolling to the edge of his bed and digging through his bag for his phone.

Flipping the cell open the blond brought the apparatus to his ear and, not even bothering to check the caller id, spoke out: "Yo."

"Jou, it's me", came Yugi's voice from the other end. The words were gasped out and were accompanied by heavy breathing, like the boy was running while talking to him. Katsuya briefly worried about the possibility of Yugi running head first into a lamppost when his attention was focused on something else other than where he was running and so he spoke out: "Hi, Yugi. You should stop for a breath or something."

Some panting was the only reply Katsuya received at first but the gasps soon evened out and calmed down. Making the assumption that it meant that Yugi had done like he had advised Katsuya questioned: "What's up? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"An emergency meeting at my place, you and me ASAP", came the quick answer from the other end of the line. "Can you make it?"

Katsuya clicked his tongue once, considering his options. Truth be told, he would prefer to be anywhere but in his room bored to death at the moment and he was actually quite curious about whatever it was that had Yugi freaking out like this. There was really no point in even taking so long to think about an answer, Katsuya realised and replied: "Sure. I have nothing better to do."

"Okay, I'll see you in a while", was all Yugi said before the call ended and all Katsuya could hear was the beeping of his cell. That had certainly been out of the ordinary routine, he decided. It was not usual for Yugi to cut off a conversation like that.

Even though Yugi's peculiar behaviour had Katsuya worried the boy tried to stay positive. Yugi would be answering his questions soon enough, as soon as he made it to the game shop that was. And the thing was, Katsuya would make it to the game shop faster if he left as soon as possible. Satisfied with that reasoning the blond ignored his worry in favour of getting himself to his friend in need.

&

"Let me get this straight…" Jou grumbled when Yugi was finished with his tale. "You asked Misa if she thought you kissed well?" The blond lifted an inquiring eyebrow and Yugi nodded his head in affirmation.

A sigh came from Jou as he stretched his legs out on Yugi's bed and the blond's gaze focused on the ceiling for a moment before returning to Yugi. Yugi simply sat backwards in the chair that was usually set in front of his desk and looked at his friend expectantly.

"You don't go around asking people questions like that", Jou spoke sternly and Yugi frowned as he asked: "Why not?"

"Because it's…awkward to do so", Jou elaborated and waved his hand a bit. "People just don't do it, period." The tall teen frowned but with it was a thoughtful expression instead of an angry one. "But I guess you would not see it that way, considering the obsession you have with learning things properly." A brief pause came before the boy continued: "What is it that is so unclear to you about the events?"

"Well, it was really weird when I did not feel anything at all", Yugi explained, really hoping that Jou could help him with his predicament. "When I kissed Yami I felt all sorts of things but –"

"Wait just a second", Jou interrupted before Yugi could go on. "You've kissed Otomya?" The blond was immediately sitting upright on the bed. "When did that happen?"

"When we had our practise yesterday", Yugi muttered, blushing in embarrassment when he remembered that he had never told any of his friends about the 'kissing lessons' or anything that had led to them. He would need to get Jou up to date about that and so he started to speak: "I actually kissed him on our first practise session and then he made a comment about my kissing needing some word and then we decided to practise that in between practising our parts in the play but when we had a session and he started showing me how to kiss I started feeling all jittery and weak in the knees and the whole shebang." Yugi said this all very quickly, too embarrassed and nervous to get himself to speak in a normal speed. Fortunately Jou seemed to understand what he was saying well enough since he was nodding his head slowly.

Finally there was a click of Jou's tongue, followed by the boy speaking out: "I think it's painfully obvious that you do not feel the slightest attraction towards Misa. That's why you didn't feel anything. Yami, on the other hand…" The blond trailed off meaningfully and Yugi understood what he meant more than well.

"There is something else that has me wondering as well", Yugi started, deciding to get it all off his chest now that Jou had proven himself to be a good source of advice. "Bakura-kun visited me yesterday as well and I asked him for advice." There was an incredulous look on Jou's face and Yugi waved his arms around frantically as he tried to explain: "There was no one else and I was so confused I thought I might burst from it all!"

"And Bakura gave you advice that left you, if possible, even more confused than you already were", Jou muttered and rubbed underneath his lower lip with his forefinger. The blond's tone of voice held no doubt about his assumptions on what happened and Yugi admitted to himself that it was sort of true.

"Well, he did say quite the bit about kissing for just the fun of it", Yugi said. "But I don't see what's the fun when I don't feel anything at all."

"Attraction is needed to make a kiss enjoyable", Jou replied with a frown of displeasure. "It doesn't matter how deep it goes as long as it is there." The blond flashed a grin at Yugi then, finishing in a careless tone: "You should ignore Bakura's gibberish. What would he know about love?"

"But I wonder", Yugi started, realizing that the conversation had finally strayed over to the root of his worry and confusion. "Is this love what I share with Yami?" Wanting desperately to get this all off his chest he pressed on. "And even if I do love Yami, who is to say that it's not just a pleasure to Yami? He's clearly attracted to me, at least a bit, but how can I tell if it's love or not?"

A sigh came from Jou and the blond ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, giving Yugi a look that seemed to be the most mature one Yugi had ever seen on his friend, and then he started to speak: "You're making too big of a fuss about this Yugi. Love isn't born overnight, it grows with time and only when it's taken care of even if only briefly every now and then." A lazy smile came across the boy's uncharacteristically tender features. "Otomya will never love you unless you both try to create the emotion between you."

Feeling very nervous in face of this strange and oddly serious Jou Yugi attempted to make a shot at lightening the mood: "Is this the part where you give me some metaphor about beautiful flowers needing a gardener to bloom?"

"Huh?" Jou blinked, the confused look resembling the old, familiar Jou a lot more than the previous guru-like behaviour. The blond shook his head in an amused manner before commenting: "I was just making things up as I went along. I had no plans on making any references."

"Thank you for that", Yugi grumbled with a sigh. "You scared me for a moment there." The small boy smiled at his blond friend. "I've never seen you look so…aware before." And, as he spoke that word, Yugi realized that he had found just the right adjective to describe the way Jou had been acting and speaking. It had been like the other teen possessed some ethereal knowledge of the essence of the entire world.

"If that's what you want to call it", Jou said in an offhanded manner but Yugi's tone was serious as he affirmed: "Yes, I want to."

"Sure, sure", came Jou's response. "Is there something else we could do now? All this talking is making me feel too glum." A grin accompanied those words and Yugi had to agree with the blond. The atmosphere was awfully heavy at the moment and it was almost unnatural, considering just who was keeping him company. The boy shot a glance at the desk behind him.

"Cards?" he questioned as he grabbed a deck off the desk. It was immediately grabbed from his hands as Jou began shuffling the cards, all the while saying confidently how he was going to beat Yugi this time around and Yugi had to wonder if his and Jou's friendship was simply a more playful version of the one Yami and Kaiba shared. There certainly seemed to be an air of competitiveness between them as well, even if it was a light one.

&

"Are you sure Yugi will be fine alone with that girl?" Yami questioned in a worried tone and Seto fought back the urge to groan in exasperation. Why was Yami acting like such a helpless twit? Did the other teen have no sense of confidence? He had snogged with Yugi only the previous day, so what was there to be unsure about?

"Even if I wasn't, I would think that the practise would be over by now", Seto grumbled as once again the word 'winner' flashed on his screen when he became the victor in a yet another game. The two had gone through most of the games in the arcade but Yami had been too distracted to be much of a challenge and the whole thing simply left a bad taste in Seto's mouth.

Releasing a sigh, cursing himself for growing so soft, the brunet offered: "Want to go drop by the game shop?" He turned to face Yami and the crimson eyes immediately came to meet his gaze. 'That certainly caught his attention', Seto thought in a displeased manner before continuing: "I don't think Yugi would have anything against us going to see what they sell in that shop and it will give you chance to run into your target of obsession."

"Target of obsession?" Yami questioned in an insulted tone of voice. "You're the one who's obsessing, not me."

"Oh?" came Seto's incredulous drawl. "Then which one of us was it that has done nothing but mourn after a certain person who shall not be named for the last few hours?" Seto turned away from the game machine, knowing that the two of them would be leaving the entire arcade soon, and finished: "Not to mention you've been doing it non-stop."

"It's easy for you to stay so calm when your guy isn't in danger of being swept away by a nasty female", Yami grumbled as he started to march towards the exit with Seto following soon after him. "We already talked about this, but –"

"We've discussed this three times, but who's counting?" Seto drawled in a sarcastic tone. "I certainly aren't."

"I'm just going to ignore your sarcasm and get to the point", Yami grumbled in an annoyed manner. "I happened to think about it and how can Yugi tell if he's gay or not? I mean, he hadn't even been kissed once before I came along so what if he actually prefers girls? What if Misa went and kissed him and he decided that he liked it and –"

"Cut it off. You're being unreasonable", Seto growled, starting to lose his patience with the shorter teen. "If you stopped for a moment to clear your head and listened to what you were actually saying, you would see that you're letting this thing grow seriously out of its portions." The brunet released a frustrated huff and then concluded: "You know what? Why don't you go to the shop by yourself and I'll go do something productive with my time? I could go talk to walls; they definitely do a better job of listening to me than you do."

"No need to get nasty…" Yami mumbled and Seto thought the other's tone did not sound very masculine at all at that moment. Still, Seto was not one to strike so slow as to point that out and merely sighed before saying: "Look, I have a lot of things to do today so how about I just head home?" The brunet smirked to himself as he added: "You don't need anyone to baby sit you, do you?"

"No, I don't", Yami growled out and then waved his hand dismissively as he spoke: "Sure, you go do whatever it is that needs to get done."

"Much appreciated", Seto replied in a tone of voice that leaked smugness. It was a normal tone for Seto, however, so Yami did not pay much attention to it.

_**To be continued… **_


	23. Mind Probing

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 23**

**Mind Probing**

"I'm just so confused", Yugi complained with a sigh as he organized the display window at the front of the shop. Jou was right there next to him, also moving the items and managing to be more in the way than to actually help. Still, Yugi did not have the heart to tell the blond that fact since the other had no ill intentions and had insisted on helping out. Not to mention the shorter boy was distracted with his continued whining, never mind, maturity-challenged discussion.

"And I already told you that a part of the whole deal is to be confused", Jou said in a deadpan manner as he made an impressive arrangement of action figures that Yugi actually decided to leave as it was. "The point is that you never know just what it is that you feel and being happy with everything anyway."

"Is that how you feel about Kaiba?" Yugi could not help but ask and noticed how one of the action figures fell, even though he had not seen his friend's hand jerk. He lifted his eyes back to the blond's face but did not see any traces of surprise or any other feeling than contentment on Jou's face. Still, Yugi knew that he had managed to prod into a sore spot and wondered just what conflict the taller teen was going through that kept him from being with Kaiba.

"I wish I had more experience", Yugi spoke with a sigh, and Jou turned away from the display window to regard him for a moment before speaking: "Relationships aren't something you study, Yugi. They are experiences you gather as you go on with life. This is your first relationship; you don't have to be an expert."

"But if I could just find out what it would be like to kiss another boy, then maybe I would be able to understand my feelings for Yami better", Yugi grumbled with displeasure and there, as he watched Jou's face, got an idea. It seemed that Jou noticed the considering expression on his face, since the blond started waving with his hand as he hurried to decline: "I will _not _be your guinea pig, Yugi!"

"But you're my best friend! Who else could it be?" Yugi whined desperately, also feeling like waving his hands to emphasize how important this was. "I mean, you've been kissed before so it's not like I'll be taking your first kiss. Not to mention you're gay and really pret -"

Yugi's words were cut off by a finger that pointed at his face _very_ close and as the boy was distracted and glancing down at the appendage, Jou spoke out in a low growl: "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"I was going to say that you're pretty handsome!" Yugi exclaimed, trying to save the situation. At Jou's glare the shorter teen tried again: "Good looking!"

"I will not kiss you, got it?" Jou spoke slowly and in a threatening tone. Just as Yugi opened his mouth to reply, the blond continued: "And you will not be kissing me either." The taller teen pulled back and spoke more gently: "Yami is going to be there for you, experiencing the same things side by side with you. That's the whole point of even having a relationship."

"Then why are you pushing Kaiba-kun away if these feelings are meant to be shared?" Yugi questioned, not really meaning to be cruel but unable to ignore that bit about his friend.

Instantly Jou's expression darkened and the normally gentle brown eyes narrowed into unrecognisable slits. The blond's tone was cold, frigid even, as he spoke: "I am handling things as I see fit, Yugi, and I don't need anyone butting in." At that Jou turned his face away from Yugi, looking out the window.

Yugi immediately regretted being so thoughtless and cursed himself for not taking Jou's prideful nature into consideration. He opened his mouth and spoke softly: "Jou, I'm sor –"

Once again Yugi was cut off, this time by Jou speaking out: "Target approaching our position."

Noticing that the tone was far from angry all of a sudden, Yugi stepped closer to his friend and questioned: "What are you talking about?"

Jou turned to grin at Yugi in a playful manner before answering: "I mean that Otomya is there, on the street, walking towards the shop." As Yugi sputtered in surprise Jou patted his shoulder and continued: "I guess that means that it's about time I take my leave. Have fun." The blond paused briefly, his body jerking as he started considering something right as he was about to start moving towards the door. Nodding once to himself, Jou turned his eyes back to Yugi and spoke: "Stop these crazy experiments, Yugi, and just go with the flow. It would be the smart thing to do." The temporary serious expression disappeared as Jou grinned once more and cheered: "Tootles!" and walked off.

Yugi gave his own farewell to his departing friend and could not help but think that Jou's advice could not be worth much with the way the taller teen's relationship was going down the drain by his own hand. Still, he decided that he would think about the matter later. Now he needed to straighten out his clothes in order to look at least somewhat presentable when Yami arrived.

The door slid open, the bell above the door ringing softly, and Yugi turned around to see Yami step into the shop. The boy immediately made his way to his taller classmate as he spoke: "Hi,Yami. What brings you here?"

"Oh! Hi Yugi", Yami replied with a wave. "I was, um, passing by." There was a slightly lost expression on the teen's face and Yugi had to wonder what that was all about when the other boy nodded his head to himself, seemingly coming to a decision of sorts. "Yes, I was passing by and decided to drop by and see if you were in."

"Alright then", Yugi answered and smiled at the crimson-eyed teen even though he still was still worried about the strange behaviour from moments ago. "I was just finishing up so I'll be with you in a second." With that Yugi made his way back to the windowsill to finish with the display.

"I can help", Yami offered as he followed after Yugi but the shorter boy lifted his hands and hurriedly declined: "No need, no need. As I said, I'm almost done." Truth be told, Yugi really could do without any more of the kind of help Jou had provided.

&

As soon as Katsuya made it home his mood worsened drastically. It was right after he had managed to kick his shoes off that his cell phone gave a beep, signalling the arrival of a text message. That in itself was not a bad thing, but the content of the message had not been pleasant.

The message had been from Anzu; the girl was worried about the play set since it was coming along so slowly. With the way things were going, there would not be enough time to start working on the costumes for the play. Anzu had told Katsuya to inform Bakura of a short meeting that the three of them would need to have the next day during lunch concerning the problem.

Responsibilities were not something Katsuya handled all that well, at least when it came to holding a position with a lot of responsibilities for a longer time. The position of one of the three main members of the 'school play task force', as Bakura jokingly called it, was one such position and Katsuya was starting to grow tired of it. Still, the blond knew that there was no helping it and so he forwarded to send a message to Bakura while he walked further into the apartment.

The sounds from the television told Katsuya that his father was home and the blond immediately headed towards the living room where Osamu was watching the weather broadcast. With a single glance Katsuya found out that there was going to be rain tomorrow, despite the fact that earlier that week they had promised sunny weather. Well, it did not matter to the blond boy much, since he did not have anything planned for Friday, except working on his school projects.

"Hello there, Katsuya", Osamu greeted his son when the teenager stopped to stand beside the couch. Katsuya flashed his father a quick smile before replying: "Hi dad", and sitting down next to the man. "How was work?"

"Nothing special", came Osamu's answer and the man reached out to ruffle his son's blond locks. Katsuya smiled at the gesture, even though he knew that this ritual had come to be only after last summer. It was a symbol of his father's worry for him but Katsuya could not bring himself to grow angry with the man when he was trying his best to show Katsuya that he cared.

"And how was your day?" Osamu asked, muting the television and giving Katsuya his full attention. The blond teen shrugged his shoulders in response before saying: "Nothing much. I went to see Yugi after school. He's having some love troubles and needed a listening ear."

"Alright then", Osamu spoke with a nod and something about the man's expression sent the alarms in Katsuya's mind off. And then he started to speak again: "Your friend Honda-kun called me today. He said you've been having some problems with settling down at school."

A grimace came over Katsuya's face at his father's words. Of course Honda would tell his father about his small breakdowns. The blond released a huff before mumbling: "They were two completely separate occasions."

"You've been back to school for a month now and you've already freaked out twice", Osamu spoke with a strict and worried tone. "That worries me."

"I would say that I've _only_ freaked out twice", Katsuya said with displeasure. "A month isn't a lot of time, dad. It certainly isn't enough time for me to manage to forget."

"Katsuya", Osamu spoke in a tone of voice that told Katsuya that he was about to receive an order and he did not like that one bit. "I don't think you are alright at all. Perhaps we should get you some help."

"Help?" Katsuya repeated in a sceptical manner. "You mean, like, get me a shrink?" Not waiting for an answer the blond immediately snapped: "No way! I won't go to any bespectacled creep who will only make me go crazy. Well, crazier, considering that people already think I'm crazy."

"I do not think you're crazy", Osamu spoke in an irritated manner. "I have merely come to the conclusion that you need someone to guide you so that you will be able to get a hold of your life again."

"I already have enough of a hold on my life", Katsuya insisted as he stood up from the couch. His father immediately reacted at the gesture, speaking strongly: "You're staying right here until we are finished talking, Katsuya."

"Well, I'm already finished", Katsuya sniffed and made to turn away, only his father's sudden gripping of his wrist stopped him in place and the teen settled for glaring at Osamu, who in turn kept his expression calm as he spoke: "I'm worried about you, Katsuya. Couldn't you do this for me?"

"Don't try to play the guilt card on me, dad", Katsuya warned his father angrily. "I _am_ healing, even if it's not happening as quickly as you would want it to." The blond tugged at his wrist weakly before pleading: "Can I please go now?"

A moment of silence passed between the two males but it broke soon enough when Osamu released a sigh and his hold on his son relented. The man leaned back on the couch as he muttered: "Fine. Go then", and turned to volume on the TV up again. Katsuya did not have to be told twice before he already was within the refuge of his own room where he collapsed on top of his bed, feeling extremely tired all of a sudden.

Just as the blond boy was certain that he would fall asleep, his cell phone gave a shrill alarm that almost had Katsuya sobbing in frustration. The teen glanced at the caller ID and grimaced; Yugi was calling him. Wondering what kind of an emergency his friend could have possibly cooked up in such a short amount of time, Katsuya answered the phone with a grunt he hoped would help Yugi get the right idea.

"Jou!" Yugi's voice shouted out and Katsuya immediately knew that Yugi was not going to spare any consideration to his exhaustion. "Something really odd happened today!"

"Damn it, Yugi", Katsuya growled as he sat up on his bed. "I left your place only twenty minutes ago."

"Yea, yea, I know", Yugi replied. "But Yami told me something and now I need to know what it was all about."

"Okay", Katsuya grumbled with a sigh. "Fire away."

"You know how I had private practise with Misa-chan because Yami had something to attend to today?" Yugi questioned and Katsuya hummed in affirmation. "Well, Yami just left and he told me that he had nothing today and that Misa-chan had told him that there was no practise today. Why would she do that?"

"She likes you", Katsuya answered without any hesitation. It was obvious, after all. The girl was not being very subtle about her feelings. "She wanted to be alone with you."

"And I kissed her!" Yugi whined in desperation. "Do you think I gave her the wrong idea?"

Another sigh came from Katsuya before the blond replied: "You should probably let her know that you don't feel the same. Just in case."

"Oh, alright", came from Yugi, followed by the boy speaking in a worried tone: "Are you alright? You sound funny."

"I'm just sleepy", Katsuya replied as he ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. "It's been a long day." It had been an extremely tiring one as well, but Katsuya did not want to go into details about the matter on the phone, least of all with Yugi. Because of this, he decided to be just vague enough that he would not pique Yugi's curiosity.

"Alright then", Yugi's voice came over the phone, sounding relieved. "You should make sure to get plenty of rest so that you won't fall asleep in class tomorrow."

"I'll make sure to do that", Katsuya answered, wishing that his mother hen of a friend would just let him be now. "We'll see each other tomorrow."

"Right, bye", came from the phone and Katsuya turned the device off with a farewell of his own. Afterwards the blond spent a great deal of time simply staring at the phone in his hand, until his father's voice called him out of his room and to dinner.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: The chapter's a bit shorter than the norm but I did not feel like putting in a time-skip so I decided to just cut if off here.


	24. Summer Rain

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 24**

**Summer Rain**

It really did not look like it was going to rain, Katsuya mused as the group walked out of the school building. There had been some drizzle early in the morning but by the time school was out, all the clouds had drifted away. Well, all the better for Anzu's date. The girl had not been able to keep herself from bringing up the whole thing; she had clearly been struggling to stay quiet during lessons to keep teachers from getting upset.

The only time Anzu had not been going on about 'Ryouta-kun' had been during lunch break, and that had been simply because she was too dutiful to ignore the important meeting of the 'school play task force'. In the end the group had decided to cancel Monday's play practise in favour of having everyone who had the time helping out with the making of the stage set.

Katsuya actually had the upcoming weekend all planned out for himself. There was not much room for any options, though, with the assignments that they were supposed to be turning in the next week. So, Katsuya was going to be spending his weekend studying, but there was no helping it even though it did not sound like fun at all. The blond did not really want to fail any of his classes.

Loud chatter had taken over the entire schoolyard, but Katsuya and his friends were so accustomed to it that they had no problems with following the conversation flying back and forth within their small group. Anzu was the first to leave the circle, saying that she needed to get ready for her date. Everyone else naturally wished the girl luck, who thanked them wholeheartedly before rushing off.

During the pause in the conversation caused by one of the participants' departure, Katsuya allowed his eyes to drift over the schoolyard, his gaze falling on a familiar figure standing a short distance away. For some reason, seeing Seto reminded Katsuya of the conversation he had had with his father the day before. And that, in turn, reminded the blond of how being around Seto had never made him feel uncomfortable. It had to mean that he was fine as he was and that he did not need any 'help'. The blond decided that he would prove that to Honda right there and then.

"Excuse me for a sec", Katsuya muttered absently to his two remaining friends before bolting off to where Seto was standing. The brunet did not see him coming, so Katsuya called out: "Seto!"

Instantly the tall teen froze in his tracks, his blue eyes falling on Katsuya with an intense stare. The familiar feeling of having a hundred butterflies taking flight in his stomach came over the blond when those deep eyes studied him so intently. Knowing that his cheeks were starting to burn, Katsuya quickly lifted himself on his toes to get rid of the small difference in height to press a light kiss on the other's smooth cheek.

"Have a nice weekend", Katsuya blurted out before whirling around and darting off to avoid Seto seeing just how deep red his face had turned. And as Katsuya reached his friends, Yugi lifting an amused eyebrow while Honda openly gaped, the blond checked himself over. There was nothing out of place, except for the butterflies dancing around behind his bellybutton.

"What was that all about?" Honda demanded as the group made its way through the school gates. Katsuya merely shrugged his shoulders before commenting: "I need the practise." That response brought a change to his friends' expressions; now it was Yugi's turn to look confused while Honda's face paled in realization. The brunet attempted to give Katsuya an apologetic look but the blond merely glanced away. He was not done being angry yet; he was still planning on having a good shouting match with Honda once they got somewhere private.

The group disappeared around the corner right after Yugi had given a glance to the yard they were leaving behind. The boy saw Yami desperately trying to pull Seto into motion, who was standing still like a statue with his face lit in a thoroughly overjoyed smile.

&

Should she wear the white blouse or the light blue one? This was the question that plagued Anzu's mind as she compared the two articles of clothing in front of the mirror. She had already chosen a black skirt, so white would be a classic choice, but it would also make her look like a secretary. The blue one would have given her outfit more colour, but it would not give a very good impression of her if Ryouta decided to take her to a fancy restaurant. In the end Anzu decided to be daring and put on the light blue blouse, hooking a dark red brooch around the top button.

Finally satisfied with her outfit, Anzu quickly brushed her hair away from her face and grabbed her shoulder bag before rushing down the steps to wait for her date. Who arrived only a few minutes later, dressed in a button-up shirt coloured a fresh green and brown dress pants. The boy was not wearing a jacket so Anzu did not think this was going to be a formal dress date, which made her glad for her choice in outfits.

After saying good bye to her mother and having seated herself on the passenger side next to Ryouta in the youth's red convertible, Anzu finally asked her date what he had planned for the afternoon. To this Ryouta gave an apologetic smile as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment at having forgotten. Then the man told her that he had been thinking along the lines of a boat ride, followed by a picnic. Anzu assured Ryouta that she was fine with that and thought about how glad she was that she had taken the blue blouse.

&

It was not a long time after Katsuya had come home that he heard the door to the house open once more upon his father's entrance. Usually Osamu never came home this early, so the blond teen knew to expect an explanation of sorts soon enough.

The older Jounouchi went to pick up a folder from the living room table while he spoke to Katsuya pleasantly: "Hello there, Katsuya. How was school?"

"Hi dad", Katsuya replied, taking his attention away from the television show he had been watching. "It was decent enough. Are you going somewhere tonight?"

"I have a meeting, yes", Osamu replied in a slightly distracted manner as he shoved the folder into his case, lifting his eyes to study Katsuya afterwards. "What are you planning on doing tonight?"

"I thought I would catch up to some studies", Katsuya answered. "We have some assignments to be returned next week." Even as the blond was still speaking, he could not help but wonder why his father was questioning him about his plans. Osamu had never been this curious about his son's business before.

"You could call a friend over", Osamu offered immediately. "I'd hate to leave you here by yourself."

'Ah, so it's this again', Katsuya thought with distaste as he gave his father a glare and spoke: "I'm _fine_ dad. I'm not going to get an anxiety attack spending the night alone at home."

"Please, Katsuya", Osamu pleaded as the man clearly was in a hurry to take off. "It would make me feel better about this if you had someone here with you."

"Fine", Katsuya hissed out as he stood up from the couch stiffly and marched over to his room. The blond teen grabbed his cell phone and stared at the device for a long moment, wondering just who he should call. He did not want to explain his situation to Yugi over the phone and Anzu was off on her date with Kajiki. Honda was a no-go since Katsuya had not forgiven the brunet for ratting him out yet. But there was another…

Before Katsuya even knew he had done it, he had scrolled down to a certain two-character name and was holding the phone to his ear, waiting for the person the pick up.

"Katsuya", came the reply, a lot sooner than the blond had expected. The tone on the other end was pleasant, the other clearly pleased to hear from him.

"Hey, Seto", Katsuya spoke, not even registering the fact that he had used the other teen's first name. "Do you think you could come over? We could work on our projects together."

There was a pause, a clear sign that Seto had not expected the blond to say that. It passed quickly, however, and the other teen's voice soon spoke: "Certainly Katsuya, but I can't help but wonder what brought out this sudden desire for my company."

"Dad doesn't trust me alone in the house", Katsuya answered instantly. "Besides you only Honda knows about my…situation, and I'm sort of not talking to him at the moment."

"I see", came the reply, followed soon by the other assuring: "I will be there within half an hour."

"Thanks", uttered Katsuya as he glanced through the window to see dark clouds approaching in the distance. "I'll see you then. Bye."

"Good bye, Katsuya", Seto said before hanging up and Katsuya felt his face heat up at the unique way Seto pronounced his name. There was just something about the brunet's tone that left Katsuya weak in the knees and he had no idea what it was.

&

Anzu had never been boating before, at least not in the way Ryouta had organized the thing. The two had a wooden, two-person boat and Ryouta took care of the rowing while Anzu sat back to watch the scenery. It was so utterly romantic that it had Anzu wanting to giggle, but she was also slightly putout about not getting to row herself. She had always been a fan of equality but she also understood that she would not have been able to keep up with Ryouta if the two of them had shared the physical labour. Because of this she was able to relax through the ride and simply enjoy herself.

Some time later Ryouta took the boat to the nearby dock so that the two could climb out. The male was the first one to stand on a secure footing and gave Anzu a hand in getting out of the boat. The rough hand was large around Anzu's own and had a much more powerful grip on her than any of her friends could manage. Their hands lingered together for a longer moment until the moment was ruined by the sky opening above them.

The boat ride had been so distracting to the both that neither of them had noticed the nearing storm clouds as they crept up right above them. And now they had fallen victim to a sudden downpour. In mere moments they were both soaked to the bone and the rain was already starting to let up.

"Summer rain", Ryouta commented as his hand slipped way from Anzu's own. "I suppose that fall is taking longer to arrive this year."

Anzu hummed in agreement, glancing up to the clouds as the rain lessened into a slight drizzle. The rain really had caught them off guard, but the day was in no shape ruined so easily. Of this Anzu was certain.

"I suppose we're not going to have that picnic now…" Ryouta grumbled in a displeased manner. "I'll take you home so that you won't catch a cold."

"Thanks", Anzu said with a smile to the man. "You're very kind." And that was when the girl got a full-out devious idea. Seeing that Ryouta was such a good target, the brunette quickly stepped forward and pushed on the raven-haired male's chest. Ryouta's face betrayed a look of surprise as his body tilted backwards and hit the water below.

Ruouta resurfaced almost immediately after being submerged in the cool water. The completely baffled expression on the tan face brought Anzu into an uncontrollable fit of giggles that were in no shape malicious, but merely amused.

"Have I upset you in some way?" Ryouta questioned suddenly and Anzu's laughs quieted down as the girl gave the man in the water a curious look. "Is this a lash at an offence I have made?"

"No", Anzu assured the other, crouching down at the edge of the pier. "Nothing of the sorts, Ryouta-kun. I was merely playing around." The brunette gave the male a smile as she said the last bit, one meant to reassure the other of her having no ill intentions.

"So, you aren't upset but were lightening up the mood of our soaked date?" Ryouta questioned and Anzu could not help but giggle at the other's choice of words. She managed to get a hold of herself quickly, though, and replied: "Exactly."

"Oh, I see…" Ryouta mumbled, trailing off at the end as he looked thoughtful. Anzu watched the male curiously and noticed a sudden smirk twitch at his lips. She sensed danger but had no time to react before a strong hand had risen to grasp her arm and yanked her into the water to join her date. She sputtered furiously as she tried to get the water she had breathed in out of her lungs while Ryouta offered her a snicker, the sound bringing Anzu's lips spreading into a wide smile. She had finally managed to break through Ryouta's overly proper front and she liked the young man that had come out immensely.

In the high brought on by her new discovery, Anzu was still capable of enough of serious thought to come to the conclusion that she was very glad indeed that she had chosen the blue blouse instead of the white one.

&

"Dad, this is Seto, one of my classmates", Katsuya spoke as he indicated the brunet in question to his father. He really hoped that he was not blushing in his embarrassment, for he could not help but feel like he was introducing his boyfriend instead of simply a friend from school. Katsuya forced these thoughts into hiding as he turned to the blue-eyed teen standing beside him. "Seto, this is my dad."

"Pleased to meet you, Jounouchi-san", Seto said, an image of politeness that Katsuya could not help but envy, and bowed in front of the older man. Even Osamu seemed to be impressed with the brunet's manners, since the man smiled widely before uttering: "It's nice to meet you too, Seto-kun." Then man then gave Seto his hand to shake and as Seto grasped it Katsuya wondered if his father would be this friendly with the brunet if he knew of the romantic feelings the other was displaying towards his son.

"I'll get going then", Osamu said and grabbed his suitcase before tilting his head at the boys. "Now you two behave and have fun." And with that the man was out the door.

For a moment Katsuya simply stood there, perplexed. That last part his father had spoken really had him off-balance at the moment and the blond actually jumped when Seto suddenly addressed him: "Which subject would you like to work on first, Katsuya?"

"Bi-biology", Katsuya managed to stutter out and Seto merely nodded. Feeling his neck burn Katsuya tried to be a good host: "Would you like something to drink?"

"Not now. Perhaps later", came Seto's response. The brunet was looking at Katsuya, meeting his eyes with intensity that had the blond wanting to hit the other just so that he could get flustered in peace without fear of being found out.

"The living room is this way", Katsuya spoke more loudly than he had intended to and walked past the brunet to lead the way into the room in question, where the two proceeded to sit on the couch in front of the coffee table. Katsuya could feel Seto's eyes stay on him as he dug through his bag for his equipment and spread them out on the table. The blond ignored this as he picked up his textbook and started talking about the topic of the project. That seemed to do the trick, as Seto was soon also buried in the notes and books and the two of them worked together for a great deal of time before the interruption.

Somewhere along the way Katsuya had started to feel Seto's eyes burn themselves to the side of his head once again and had spared a sideways glance at the other teen. He had immediately felt the feeling of heat on his neck return at the way Seto was smiling at him, like he knew some great secret and was not about to share.

"What's so funny?" Katsuya grumbled with distaste, severely disliking the awkward situation. Seto just smiled wider for a moment before speaking out: "I was wondering if you have ever heard the term 'study date'."

"Sure I have", Katsuya growled, a bit defensively. "What about it?"

"This could definitely be considered one", Seto said in a deadpan manner and Katsuya felt his body burn all the hotter for it. The blond turned his startled gaze to his companion as he stuttered: "T-That's not what I was aiming at!"

"I know", Seto spoke in a low, soothing tone of voice, all the while leaning in to be face to face with the blond boy. "You're just so _cute, _Katsuya."

Said cute blond felt his body shiver at the way the other spoke and stressed his words. The heat he was feeling also moved to his face and Katsuya knew that there was no way for Seto to _not_ see it.

Sapphire blue eyes held his own prisoner as that same soothing voice queried: "May I kiss you?"

In his mind Katsuya screamed: 'Stop teasing and get on with it!' but out loud he barely managed to utter: "S-sure."

And with that Seto's lips were on his own, kissing him slowly and sensually. Katsuya lifted his hands to Seto's neck to help the brunet angle his head in a way that allowed for a deeper kiss and then the blond merely enjoyed the feeling of Seto's lips and tongue caressing his own, responding to the movements as they came.

As the two opened their lips almost in synch to explore each other's mouths, Seto's hands began trailing feather-light touches all over Katsuya's body, the long and elegant fingers doing some exploration of their own as they ran down Katsuya's back and up his sides underneath his shirt.

It felt so incredibly good. This was all Katsuya was aware of as he allowed his own hands to slip down Seto's chest, feeling the strong muscles through the shirt, and then trailing up again as he scooted closer to the other teen's warmth.

Katsuya felt his body quiver but for once did not mind it as Seto's hands came to rest on his hips, staying there for a moment before lowering experimentally. That was certainly going too far, Katsuya mused and shoved the brunet off of him. However, he managed to completely underestimate his own power and managed to send Seto tumbling to the floor.

"Damn!" Katsuya hissed as he got up off the couch and knelt down to check Seto's condition. Fortunately the brunet seemed to be unharmed and Katsuya hurried to apologise: "I'm really sorry about that, Seto.

"Don't worry. I understand", Seto spoke as he stood up from the floor, Katsuya following suite. Then the brunet gave the brown-eyed boy an apologetic look as he continued: "I shouldn't have done that, especially without your consent."

Katsuya released a sigh then, not really knowing what to say. In the end he settled for uttering: "It's okay", and then leaning upwards to place a chaste kiss on the brunet's cheek. Knowing that the both of them would probably feel awkward about continuing their studying now the blond said: "You should probably get going. My dad will be home soon anyway."

It seemed that Seto had no arguments, as he nodded his head and said: "Alright", after which the brunet gathered his things and Katsuya led their way to the front door.

At the door Katsuya started to feel flustered again and was therefore glad when Seto was the first to speak: "I'll be seeing you on Monday." Then the brunet leaned in to kiss Katsuya's lips once more, this time briefly and innocently, before opening the door and saying: "Bye."

A smile came to Katsuya's lips at the gesture and his whole body tingled. Still, the blond managed to breathe out: "See you…" before the door clicked shut.

The next thing Katsuya knew was that his legs had given out and he had sunk to his knees on the floor. His hear was hammering so loudly that he could swear he heard it echo from the walls and he could not stop blushing, or even smiling at that matter! The boy had never felt like this before and he also knew that he had not hit Seto because of a relapse, but simply because he had been unable to speak a refusal. The blond boy was absolutely certain that had he opened his mouth, the word that would have come out would not have been 'stop', but 'more'. And even as that thought had him almost panicking, Katsuya could not help but notice how utterly happy he was feeling.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Now, some of you might have noticed that even though the characters are clearly Japanese, the school system is clearly western. This is for the sake of furthering the plot, since I find it a lot easier to arrange the events for a five-day week rather than a six-day one. It could be considered an artistic liberty, I suppose, considering that the story in an AU and all.


	25. Plotting and Planning

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 25**

**Plotting and Planning**

It seemed that the events of the previous Friday had Katsuya somewhat on the defensive. The blond had been avoiding Seto the whole day and whenever Seto had attempted to approach the boy, the shorter teen had blushed a deep crimson and scurried off. Even though he was disappointed about not getting to speak to Katsuya, Seto was relieved that Katsuya did not seem to be holding a grudge about Seto's actions during their 'study date'. Because of that Seto decided to carry on with his plan when Yami told him that the play practise had been cancelled so that the whole class could participate in getting the stage set finished.

Making his way to the art class, Seto slid the door open with outmost confidence and elegance, like he was supposed to be there, and glanced around to see that Katsuya was not present at the moment. He then made his way to the teacher in charge of the students and cleared his throat to gain her attention and a surprised gaze fell upon him.

"Excuse me, sensei", Seto spoke in the most pleasant tone of voice he could muster. He would have to get this right with his first attempt or he would have to come up with another plan. "I would wish to be a spare actor but I seem to have some trouble with memorising all the lines."

"Is that so, Kaiba-kun?" the teacher said with a friendly smile. "Well, we can't have that. I'm sure someone can go through the script with you."

"I would prefer someone who knows the script well", Seto put in immediately. He knew who he wanted as his partner but he could not just go and demand the teacher to pair them up, even if the woman would probably do anything he told her to. Seto preferred not to have the whole class gossiping about him. No, he could not be as hasty as to outright demand Katsuya, since the blond would not like to have everyone whispering about him.

"But of course", the teacher said and looked around the room with a thoughtful frown. Just then the door to the classroom opened and Seto smiled to himself as a familiar blond head peeked inside and Katsuya informed that he had found the paints needed for the sets.

"Ah, Jounouchi-kun!" the teacher said with the widest smile Seto had ever seen on a person. "Just the man I was looking for!" The woman had her hands clasped in front of her and Seto felt a sudden urge to move away from her. She was acting too much like a fan girl at the moment for the brunet to feel comfortable standing right next to her.

"Oh?" Katsuya's voice questioned as the blond walked inside and closed the door behind him. "How so?" he asked while he piled the cans of pain on top of a nearby desk.

"I need you to got through the script with our newest actor", the teacher said simply, going straight to the point. "Can you spare some time after school for private practise?"

"Sure thing", Katsuya replied with a helpful smile, done with his task. Grabbing a script from the bag lying on the floor next to the desk, clearly the blond's own, Katsuya looked around a bit as he tried to find a new face, his eyes widening when they fell on Seto. "W-who do I have to teach?" the boy questioned, even though he probably knew the answer already.

The teacher smiled before patting Seto's shoulder slightly and saying: "Kaiba-kun here."

The shocked look Katsuya was giving Seto turned into an incredulous one as the blond asked: "Are you saying that Kaiba actually joined in?" He tugged his copy of the script against his chest like he wished to hide behind it. "You're kidding, right?"

"I most certainly am not", the teacher stated firmly as she let go of Seto and grabbed Katsuya's arm. She then pulled the boy over to Seto and fixed the blond with a stern glare. "You're going to help Kaiba-kun study the script since he is so interested in helping with the play. You know we are short on spare actors." That said she marched off to instruct a pair of students that were working on a background set.

"You? Interested in acting?" Katsuya huffed at Seto as soon as the teacher was out of hearing range. "I believe that the day pigs fly."

"How would you know about my interests?" Seto shot back with a slightly smug smirk. "I happen to like watching plays very much. It was only natural that I decided to try acting myself."

"Yeah, right", Katsuya said with distaste as he glared at Seto from beneath his bangs. "Even if that part might be true, you sure as hell don't need help with memorising anything." The blond rolled up the script in his hand and smacked Seto lightly on the chest with it. "Do you honestly think anyone's going to buy that one, Mr one-hundred-percent-correct-child-genius?"

A slight smile tugged on Seto's lips as he grabbed the hand holding the script. Surprisingly Katsuya did not attempt to pull himself free as Seto started to speak: "I am very flattered to hear that you think so highly of me." He smirked slightly. "But, as you can see, the teacher believed it without a second thought."

It was after Seto had finished speaking that Katsuya yanked his hand back from Seto's grip. With a distrusting snarl and a challenging smirk the blond said: "Well, I'm not going to fall for it. You're up to something and I'm going to find out what it is."

"Or I could simply just tell you", Seto added in, basking in the way the heated brown eyes absorbed every detail of his face. "I just want to talk with you, that's all." He reached out and flipped a couple of blond strands with his fingers, causing a small blush to pass across Katsuya's face. "And you're making it extremely difficult to do so."

Something flickered in Katsuya's eyes but before Seto could see what it was the blond looked away and flipped his script open. With a loud enough voice for the people standing closest to them to hear he questioned: "So, what parts did you need help with?"

It was a good diversion technique; Seto gave the blond credit for that. But he was not going to be brushed off that easily. Placing his hand on the script Seto leaned closer to Katsuya and said: "I really need to go pick up Mokuba right now, but maybe you could come over to my house later on so we can practise properly?"

"No", Katsuya snapped defensively as he shot Seto a warning look. "There's no way I'm stepping onto enemy ground without any means of self-defence."

"'Enemy ground'?" Seto questioned with a light laugh, somehow knowing that the blond was not serious. "I'm hurt, Katsuya, that you hold so little trust in me."

"Shut up!" Katsuya snapped, his cheeks now adorning an angry and embarrassed blush. "Stop treating me like that!"

"Oh? Like what?" Seto asked with a lifted eyebrow. Katsuya flipped his script shut before replying: "Like I was stupid, like you could manipulate me with your words." Brown eyes flashed with fiery anger. "I won't loose to you in your little mind game."

"But Katsuya", Seto spoke softly, grabbing the blond's arm and pulling him closer. "This is no game. It's a dance." He gave the shorter boy a vicious smile. "And a dance needs both parties to participate." Seto released his grip on the blond at that. "Or aren't you skilled enough to follow the beat?"

"You're saying that I'm a coward, aren't you?" Katsuya snapped, his eyes narrow as he fixed Seto with a glare. At Seto's self-satisfied smirk the blond growled: "Well, guess what! I am _not_ afraid. Of you or anything else at that matter!" Katsuya prodded Seto's chest with his finger. "So you just wait for me at four! I'll show you to underestimate me!"

Fighting back laughter had never before been so difficult to Seto, but he did manage it. How easy it was to control Katsuya sometimes. He did not even manipulate the blond, merely angered him enough to have his thoughts jumbled enough for him to make a hasty decision. It truly was a dance, this thing they were doing. And Seto was the one leading said dance.

_Ten minutes earlier…_

"This is a nice change to rehearsing lines all the time", Yami commented and Yugi nodded his head in agreement before saying: "I really hope that we will be able to get the sets done."

"Sure we will", Bakura's voice came from Yugi's other side. "Everyone knows that I will get _unpleasant_ if we don't."

"Damn it, Bakura", Jou snapped from ahead of the group, turning his head around so that he could glare at the albino over his shoulder. "You already threatened everyone to not head on home after we told them that there would be no practise today. There's no need to traumatize everyone beyond repair."

"Oh, you know you appreciate it when I make things easier for you", Bakura shot back as he took a couple of longer steps in order to walk next to the blond. "Even though you and Mazaki both say you disapprove with my methods, you never really try to stop me."

"That's still no reason to go overboard", Jou replied deadpan while pushing the other male on the shoulder, clearly not liking the way Bakura was leaning towards his face.

Even though he was amused by the interaction, Yugi could not help but wonder just why it was the four of them who had been landed with the task of fetching more supplies from storage. It was like some upper power was forcing Yugi into the company of the three people he felt the most awkward with at the moment. Yami made him nervous for obvious reasons, while Bakura simply scared Yugi. Jou, on the other hand, Yugi was still feeling guilty about even though Jou seemed to have brushed off Yugi's words to him easily. It just was in his nature to worry, Yugi mused.

"Here we are", Jou spoke suddenly before opening the door with the key the teacher had given the them. The door was pushed open and the lights flicked on as the blond made his way inside first, followed first by Bakura and then by Yami and Yugi.

Never having been inside the school's main storage before, Yugi marvelled at the size of the place and almost missed Jou's instruction speech: "Alright, the cardboard is at the back of this room on the shelves next to the wall, close to the coloured paper. You and Yugi can handle that, Bakura." Brown eyes glanced at Yugi in a meaningful manner and Yugi felt outraged that Jou would think that he would jump Yami in a place like this. Before Yugi could make a retort that would have very likely embarrassed him, Jou spoke to Yami: "The wise-ass in charge of this place decided to store the rice paper with the toilet paper for who knows what reason. It's on the leftmost isle. Could you get it, Otomya?" Yami merely needed to nod his head before Jou finished: "I'm going to grab the paints, since they need them ASAP and I'm the fastest." The blond handed the keys to Yami. "Remember to lock up before heading out." And with that the blond stepped to the rightmost shelve and piled his arms with cans of paint. Bakura held the door open for the blond, who quickly disappeared down the hall.

"Let's get going then", Yami spoke before heading into the direction Jou had pointed to him while Yugi led the way to the shadowed back of the storage room.

Without a word Yugi and Bakura got to work to gather the largest pieces of cardboard available, Yugi going through the lower shelves while Bakura was reaching up to the topmost ones. Glancing up a couple of times, Yugi found his eyes trailing the taunt muscles on Bakura's back and blushing at the realization that he was staring. Still, he could not help but think about the things he did when he was so very curious and Jou had already denied him. And Bakura had actually offered…

"Um, Bakura?" Yugi questioned and immediately those piercing eyes locked with his own. Yugi wondered if Bakura somehow knew what he was thinking, judging from the almost predatory look on the other's face. But then again, Bakura _always_ looked predatory.

"Remember how you said that you wouldn't mind helping me out with experimenting a bit?" Yugi questioned and one white eyebrow arched in interest as the taller teen blurted out: "I thought you weren't interested."

"I changed my mind", Yugi huffed, getting defensive. "Am I not allowed to?"

"Sure, whatever", Bakura grumbled before seizing a hold of Yugi's shoulders and pushing the boy against the shelves. "But there's no changing your mind after this."

Mutely, Yugi nodded his head at the other's words and waited for the move from Bakura. But, suddenly, the white-haired teen hesitated for a moment, a strange and unreadable expression on his face. The next thing Yugi knew was that Bakura had grabbed him again and turned around with him in tow before bringing their lips crashing together.

It was not nice, not nice at all. Bakura was forceful and his lips clamped over Yugi's own in a manner that could have only been described as angry. The taller teen was skilled, Yugi noted, when the other's tongue caressed his lips in a pleasurable manner. But, even so, Yugi did not find it _nice_, and Yugi preferred his kisses nice. That was they way Yami kissed him.

"How do you like that?" Bakura's voice came before Yugi was even aware that the other had pulled away from the kiss. Yugi glanced up at the albino to see the other looking somewhere past Yugi and the boy turned his head around to see Yami blinking at the two of them in shock.

Now Yugi really regretted doing this, even more so than when he had realized that he did not like kissing Bakura. He had not wanted Yami to know about his inexperience, and even more so about his ill-fated experiments. Suddenly Jou's advice seemed like a good one.

"What's wrong?" Bakura spoke, still aiming his words at Yami. "I just kissed little Yugi here. Why aren't you trying to tear my head off?"

"I'm not Yugi's boyfriend, neither is Yugi mine", Yami spoke gently, but somehow brokenly. Yugi's heart ached hearing that tone. "Yugi can kiss whoever he wishes."

"It's not like that, Yami!" Yugi suddenly blurted out, tearing himself away from Bakura and rushing over to Yami to grasp the crimson-eyed teen's arms. The other's hands were occupied with the rice paper he had been assigned to find.

Not really knowing what to say, Yugi tried to keep an awkward silence from forming by uttering: "I was just, I just…" The boy sighed deeply then, knowing that he would have to reveal his fears to Yami in order to make the other understand. "I was so confused about my feelings. I had never been kissed before and I wondered if it felt the same every single time. It doesn't, Yami!" Yugi looked up, glancing desperately into the taller teen's eyes. "The things you make me feel are wonderful and unique. I know that know, but before I had no way to know that." The boy felt himself grow shy as he finished: "I'd love to be your boyfriend."

Ruby eyes had widened at the admission and their gaze softened as a small smile came over Yami's lips, followed by the other uttering adoringly: "Yugi…"

"I smell fluff coming up", Bakura's voice snarled from a short distance away. "I'm out of here."

Hearing the other's voice brought Yugi's thoughts back to the kiss, and the taller teen's strange behaviour before it. He turned his face towards Bakura as he spoke: "You knew Yami was there, didn't you?" The smirk on the white-haired teen's face was all the answer the boy needed. "Why? What did you hope to accomplish?"

"You're both novices in this kind of a thing", Bakura replied with a shrug. "You two needed all the help you could get, so I gave you some." Those sharp eyes looked right into Yugi's own without a hint of an apology. "You needed to know that your playing around would hurt your lover boy." The gaze shifted onto Yami. "And you needed to learn that sometimes you will have to fight for what you want and not just wait for it to drop into your lap. Had I been another person, Yugi could have ended up seriously hurt." Once again Yugi became the object of scrutiny. "I hope you learned something about that as well. A worse person would have used you shamelessly."

"You're saying that you were actually trying to help?" Yami questioned incredulously. "What makes you think we would buy that?"

"He likes Jou", Yugi commented before turning his attention to Bakura. "I don't think he's going to change his mind despite what you do, Bakura-kun."

"I've already figured that out", the teen spoke with a huff. "I did what I did for a different reason, one which I don't care to share." And with that he turned around to grab the pieces of cardboard. "You two can finish working things out later. For the moment I would like to avoid Mazaki's wrath over being late." Both Yami and Yugi agreed with the statement and got to work.

_**To be continued…**_


	26. Confessionals

Play Your Part, Yugi

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 26**

**Confessionals**

As soon as Bakura made it back to the classroom, he was cornered by Jou, much to his dismay. Now, the blond did not really look angry, but he was clearly not happy with the fact that it had taken them so long to follow after him. Jou's face twisted up strangely, like he was being indecisive about whether the teen should be angry or amused. Just as Bakura began to wonder how the latter emotion connected to the situation, the answer came in the form of Jou blurting out: "I think I have a date with Seto."

"You _think_?" Bakura could not help but utter. After all, he had seen the way the brunet in question crowded Jou, not giving any room for misunderstandings on terms of his intentions. Bakura knew that Kaiba was straightforward; he often glared at the other jealously when he spoke to Jou.

"He agreed to be a stand-in for the play and now I'm supposed to go over to help him practise his lines", Jou explained as his face gave away to the feeling of anger. "Like hell he needs any help. I bet he's just bluffing in order to catch me alone and then pull some moves on me."

Not sure he really wanted to know, Bakura bit for the bait anyway and queried: "What moves?"

"You know", Jou spoke as he waved his hands slightly, warming up to the topic. "Like, putting his arm around my shoulders when he thinks I won't notice, sitting too close to me or then speaking to me with his voice lowered in that sexy way."

"Your tone of voice tells me that you're looking forward to it", Bakura commented truthfully, releasing a snort he had been unable to fight back.

"You're full of it", Jou said defensively before glancing to the doorway over Bakura's shoulder. "Where are Yugi and Otomya?"

"Probably scheduling for a date", Bakura replied with distaste. "I forced them to confront each other. Don't ask about my method's though." Jou would beat him into the next week if he found out that he had gone and kissed the blond's best friend, even if it had been by the other's request. Fortunately enough, Jou usually was more comfortable with not knowing what Bakura did behind his back, as long as he did not come across any corpses.

There was a peculiar look on Jou's face, though, as the blond seemed uncertain of how to react. In the end the brown-eyed teen settled for uttering, even if hesitantly: "That was…um, nice of you."

"Don't say that!" Bakura snapped in a hiss. "I did it out of selfish reasons." Then the albino lowered his voice. "I might have a crush on Yugi, probably."

"W-what?" Jou questioned incredulously, lips twisting in a manner that warned of forthcoming nervous laughter. It would have been too embarrassing to listen to, so Bakura spoke up before the first chuckle could escape: "I thought that I should help him, since he's such a nice kid and all, but then I figured that perhaps I like him a bit too much."

"Whatever brought that on?" Jou questioned in a pleading tone, and Bakura explained: "He's just my type, you know. _Submissive and soft to the touch_." At that last part Jou had spoken up the exact same words, managing to even mimic the tone of voice Bakura used. The white-haired teen frowned at this as he grumbled: "Does it echo here?"

"No", Jou replied in an offhanded manner as he turned around, clearly intending to go and see if anyone needed any help. "You just repeat yourself in rapid succession." With that the blond walked off with Bakura stomping after him, agitated.

_Ten minutes earlier..._

"Y-Yami?" Yugi whispered quietly and Yami's gaze immediately fell on the shorter boy. The crimson-eyed teen saw Yugi shoot a nervous glance at Bakura walking in front of them before uttering: "Could we perhaps talk?"

There was a short pause, after which Yami nodded his head once and the two of them came to a stop while Bakura vanished around a corner. Yami doubted it was really that easy to shake the white-haired teen and guessed that the other had simply decided to let them be before directing his attention to Yugi again and speaking out: "What is it, Yugi?"

"I…I want to know how you feel", Yugi mumbled with the most adorable of blushes on his cheeks. "I mean, I know what Bakura said back there, but I want to hear it from you. Did his words hold any truth? Do you want…me?" That last part was uttered softly while those amethyst eyes gazed into his own searchingly.

Only one real, truthful answer existed to that question and so Yami spoke: "Yes, Yugi, I do want you." A brilliant blush rose to the soft, pale cheeks of the shorter boy and Yami cupped the other's face gently with his hand, brushing a thumb across a rosy cheek. "And I would fight for you. Of that I am certain now." Truth be told, when Yami had first seen Yugi in Bakura's arms, he had been ready to whip out his trusty switchblade and give the albino a haircut that he would not have been soon to forget. The fact that he had done no such thing was proof that the crimson-eyed teen truly had managed to change during his stay in Domino. And it was all thanks to Yugi.

"Then I guess that makes us boyfriends", Yugi spoke up finally, the flush on his cheeks lessening into a cute pink as he smiled at Yami widely. The taller teen gave a smile of his own, feeling possibly equally happy with the other even as his smile paled in comparison, and nodded his head before speaking: "I think I like the sound of that. _Boyfriends_."

Yami had never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend before, only occasional… Well, Yami did not really have a word for them. But, the teen decided that he did not really need one, since they were all ancient history now. All he needed from then onward was Yugi, as long as they could last.

Suddenly the red on Yugi's face darkened and the boy released a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of his head. Yami lifted his brows in a curious manner and Yugi explained: "Jou is probably ready to pull his hair out waiting for us."

"Good point", Yami agreed with a nod. And then there was, of course, that overly enthusiastic literature teacher they had supervising the project. She would not be happy if Yugi and Yami were gone incredibly long.

The two teens walked towards the classroom in silence for a while, but it was a comfortable one. It still did not last for long, however, before Yugi spoke out: "Yami? I was wondering if you'd like to come over to my house after school."

Unable to help the teasing smile that came to his lips, Yami spoke in amusement: "Wow, we've been together, what, five minutes and you already want to introduce me to your family."

A deep flush came over Yugi's cheeks once again, Yami was growing very fond of that particular shade of red, and the boy hurried to explain himself: "I just have this one game that I thought we could play together." Yugi was fidgeting with the cardboard he was carrying nervously. "That is, if you'd like to." The amethyst eyes glanced down to the floor. "Unless you would prefer something more romantic?"

Now it was Yami's turn to blush as the crimson-eyed youth uttered: "A game sounds good." He coughed into a fist nervously. "I'm not much of a romantic, actually. Stuff like that makes me feel awkward."

Instead of laughing at him like Yami had feared the other to do, Yugi merely smiled at him fondly before saying: "You're sweet", and brushing the matter off with that. And it was just in time, as they arrived at the class door right then. Yami was the one to push the door open, since he had a hand to spare with the rise paper fitting into a single box positioned underneath his arm, and the shorter boy entered the room first with Yami right behind them.

The two were instantly cornered by Jou, who marched over to them and immediately spoke out: "There you two are." The blond looked slightly annoyed but nothing more than that so Yami did not think they were in too much trouble as the other questioned: "What took you?"

Yugi became a nervous mess, however, and merely mumbled weakly: "Umm", while Yami spoke out: "Stuff." He really did not feel like sharing his and Yugi's personal business, even if it was with Yugi's best friend.

It seemed that Jou understood, since the boy released a short laugh before releasing Yugi of his burden and taking the pile of cardboard into his own hands as he spoke: "Sensei thought that you two had bolted while Bakura suspected that you had decided to elope."

Yami released a scornful scoff before grumbling: "Bakura can think whatever he wants." That earned him a scolding sideways look from Yugi as the shorter boy mumbled: "Yami, can't you at least _try_ to forgive him? It was really all my fault, after all."

"You're incapable of malicious intent, Yugi, so I know that you meant no harm", Yami answered deadpan. "Bakura, I'm not so sure of."

A pout appeared on Yugi's face as the boy complained: "I wouldn't say 'incapable', but rather 'unwilling'."

That brought a smile on Yami's face and he turned to the shorter teen to give him a tender look as he spoke gently: "You're an angel, Yugi", and watched in adoration as Yugi blushed once again.

"Ookay", Jou drawled then, drawing both lovers' attention on him. "I think I'll just go over there…" He pointed into a random direction in the room and then scurried into the opposite one. Yami and Yugi both blinked after him in confusion before Yami smirked in an amused manner and spoke to his companion: "I think we made your friend uncomfortable."

"I don't think so", came Yugi's curt and strangely certain response. Then, a moment later, the sound of Jou's laughter came from the general direction the blond had taken off to. Yugi released a short giggle himself before giving Yami a smile and saying: "See? He's fine."

&

The end of the school day found Katsuya in Seto's living room with the brunet as his only company. Seto had been glancing at the clock every five minutes or so, at least it seemed like that to the younger boy. The blond had really not wanted to leave with Seto, especially to the brunet's house, but he knew that it would have been downright crude of him to back out after saying that he would go.

Katsuya knew that he was acting stupid, and it was all because of those strange feelings Seto had managed to stir inside of him. The blond had decided that it was not Seto's fault how he felt, so the blond had done his best to act friendly towards Seto during the ride to the house, telling the amused brunet about how Yugi and Otomya seemed to have gotten together, by Bakura's assistance even.

After the arrival at the large, manor-like house Seto lived in, Katsuya had willingly followed the brunet into the living room and gone through some parts of the scenes with the brunet.

Still, the way Seto constantly kept an eye on the clock unnerved Katsuya. It meant that Seto was plotting something, but the blond had no idea what it might have been. But, he supposed that it should not matter to him, since Seto had not once done any harm to him.

At ten past four Seto suddenly closed his script and threw it onto the coffee table, turning his gaze to Katsuya as he spoke to the brown-eyed boy, tone deceivingly impassive as he questioned: "Do you like to dance, Katsuya?"

"Y-yeah, I guess", the blond stuttered as an answer and felt a bit uneasy with the odd question. The whole thing started to make a lot more sense when Seto continued, changing his question slightly: "Would you like to dance?"

"Huh?" Katsuya managed to utter intelligently, blinking in a startled manner as Seto stood up and offered the shorter teen his hand. Finally managing a real response Katsuya questioned in an incredulous manner: "Right here and now?"

The taller teen merely smirked confidently, and just then a soft tune started to play from the radio sitting on the side of the room. Finally realizing what the brunet had been planning all along, but unsure of what Seto hoped to gain with this, Katsuya reached out and grasped the offered hand and allowed Seto to pull him up from the couch and into his arms.

It had been a months since the two of them had last danced together, but still Katsuya found his body settling against Seto's own with ease. Suddenly it felt like no time had passed at all when Seto's hands fell to Katsuya's hips and the blond's own hands rose to grasp the blue-eyed male's arms.

"Katsuya", Seto murmured while the two were moving to the gentle melody. "I need to tell you something, something that has been on my mind for a long time."

The gentle tone had Katsuya curious, but it also calmed down any forthcoming worry, so the blond was able to simply listen quietly when Seto pulled back to look into his eyes as he spoke: "It's what I tried to tell you in the beginning of the school year." The brunet took a deep breath and sighed softly, before starting again. "Last summer, I knew it was you, Katsuya."

"W-what?" Katsuya stuttered, not sure if he understood correctly. Fortunately to him, Seto continued on: "I had never seen Jounouchi Shizuka before, but I had seen Jounouchi Katsuya plenty of times. I recognized you the moment our eyes met on that first lesson."

"What?" Katsuya repeated, this time a shrill cry as he made to pull away from Seto's grip but the brunet's arms wrapped themselves around his back to hold him still. Seto was not done talking yet, which became apparent when the brunet's voice once more spoke: "I saw it as my chance to get you to know a different side of me, a side that is a lot more mature than the one you encountered during our first year of high school." The brunet brought their foreheads together gently, gazing into Katsuya's eyes with sincerity as he finished: "It's a side that wants to be closer to you."

If Katsuya had said that he was unaffected by Seto's words, he would have been lying. His heart was beating ten times faster and he was sure that his face was a dark scarlet by now. But he did not care about that. He only cared about the fact that Seto was holding him, and that it felt good. Seto cared about him, and that felt even better. He could stay like this forever, and that felt more amazing than anything had ever before.

"I guess it worked then", Katsuya murmured softly to the taller teen. "I certainly see you in a new light now." The blond could not help but smile as he admired the bright blue of Seto's sapphire eyes. They disappeared from his sight for a brief moment as Seto blinked slowly before questioning: "And do you like what you see?"

A short laugh bubbled from Katsuya's mouth, one of happiness, and the blond tilted his head to murmur into Seto's ear: "I think I do, very much so." And it felt right.

&

'Aw crap, aw crap, awcrapcrapcrap…' Katsuya mentally raved as he burst through the door into the house he lived in with his father. His afternoon had been absolutely wonderful. He and Seto had made out some and the brunet had made sure to keep all of his touches within the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and even though the two of them had not discussed their relationship any further, Katsuya knew for a fact that the two of them were way past the category 'friends with benefits' now. There was no going back and Katsuya did not mind at all.

That was where the problem lied. Katsuya had only just now realized that he was helplessly in love with Kaiba Seto. Of course the blond had suspected that before, he had told Mai so, but it was still shocking to have the emotion come slapping him in the face when he had been in the middle of a very passionate kiss with Seto. It was frightening for him to realize just how comfortable he had been with the thought of staying with the brunet; he was certain that simple attraction did not run as deep as his feelings did.

Truth be told, Katsuya considered himself childish. He had never thought himself capable of mature feelings but here he was, deeply in love with the brunet he had been with up until mere minutes ago as the other teen had taken him home. Katsuya did not really know what to do with himself and his feelings; he was too young to have found his life partner and it was not certain that Seto's feelings went as deep as his own. But if Seto _did _feel the same…

"Katsuya?" Osamu's voice questioned then as footsteps approached the doorway, where Katsuya was still standing. The blond jumped in surprise and forced the images of white silk and glittering silver out of his mind as he replied shakily: "I'm home, dad."

Osamu appeared in the hallway a moment later and gave Katsuya a wide smile as he spoke: "And how was your day?"

"Fine", Katsuya said with a sigh. "Except that I realized that I'm gay and in love with one of my classmates." Looking at his father, the blond boy tried to determine the man's reaction. Osamu looked startled for a moment, but the expression was soon replaced by a thoughtful one as the man queried: "That Seto you brought here last Friday?"

"Uh!" Katsuya gasped, startled that his father could figure it out so quickly. "Y-yeah."

"I thought he looked familiar", Osamu spoke in a neutrally thoughtful tone that was mostly directed at himself. "He's that boy from last summer." He then smiled at Katsuya, though a tad hesitantly. "He seems like a good match for you, polite and calm, though he is a tad bit grabby."

"Seto is not grabby, dad", Katsuya replied with an embarrassed huff. "You're just being protective." The blond paused, wondering why his father seemed to be so open-minded about this. "Dad?" he questioned. "Why are you so okay with this?" The teen glanced at his feet in embarrassment. "I mean, I won't be giving you grandkids if I turn gay."

"Katsuya", Osamu spoke out gently, stepping forward to grasp his son's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I must say that I never did expect you to come to me with a confession like this, considering everything that has happened." The man then backed away to smile at his son encouragingly. "I think that this is a sign that you really _are_ on your way to recovery."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you", Katsuya replied with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't need any shrink."

"We'll see", Osamu answered before questioning curiously: "How does he feel about you?"

Not about to tell his father about the grope fests Seto seemed so fond of, Katsuya settled for saying: "I wouldn't know, since he doesn't know how I feel either."

"Why don't you confess to him then?" came the older Jounouchi's question. Katsuya huffed indignantly at the words before replying: "I'm not going to give him any pink letter; that would be girly."

"Oh?" Osamu queried with a lifted eyebrow. "And I suppose sitting around angsting about the matter is a very manly thing to do." The sarcasm was very evident in the man's voice and Katsuya felt his cheeks heat up as he glowered at his father, who merely patted him on the head before walking back into the living room.

With a heavy sigh Katsuya removed his shoes and started making his way to his room, all the while wondering why it seemed like everyone could outsmart him that day.

_**To be continued…**_


	27. Final Preparations

**Play Your Part, Yugi  
Chapter 27  
Final Preparations**

"So, Anzu", Katsuya spoke out while their group was walking towards the school together. "How did your date with Kajiki go? I was expecting you to go on and on about it yesterday."

"Well, everything was so busy yesterday that I didn't really have time to think about it", the brunette in question admitted. "But, at least we got all the stage sets done."

"Right", Katsuya agreed with a nod. Then he leaned over to the girl and smirked as he spoke: "Now, about that date."

"I never knew you could be so curious, Jou-kun", Anzu hummed with a smile, to which Honda commented: "Actually, he's too curious for his own good sometimes."

Sending a glower at the grinning brunet Katsuya grumbled with distaste: "You're just as bad as I am, if not even worse."

"At least I'm not poking around about someone's love life", Honda shot back and Katsuya snapped: "That's because you won't have one yourself until Shizuka is old enough." The blond shook his head. "And I can't believe I just said that."

"It only means that you're letting her grow up", Yugi said with a smile and an encouraging pat to the blond's arm. "I think that's only a good thing."

"Right, right", Katsuya spoke. "But from one topic to another…"

"I hear you, Jou-kun", Anzu said with a giggle. "The date went very well, actually. I was a bit worried at first since Ryouta-kun is older than me, and so much more mature than most guys. He was rather stiff even as he took me to this romantic boat ride at a lake." The girl shook her head slightly. "We ended up getting soaked by sudden rain and he was ready to call it quits immediately afterwards." Now the brunette started smiling. "I pushed him into the lake."

"Oh no", Yugi's voice piped up, the shortest member of their group clearly being very taken in by the story. "How did he react to that?"

"Well, at first he thought that he had done something wrong and that I was mad at him", Anzu replied. "I told him that I was merely playing around and the next thing I knew, I was also in the water." The girl released a giggle. "Fortunately enough I was already wet from the rain so it didn't really matter, but I would have been happy anyway with the more playful side Ryouta-kun showed me then."

"I'm glad everything is working out for you two", Yugi said with a smile and Katsuya smirked down at him and bended down to be closer to eyelevel with the other. Then, before the shorter boy could suspect anything, the blond spoke out: "And she's not the only one with fortune in love. I heard from a reliable source that you and Otomya are more than mere acquaintances now."

"I would hardly call Bakura a reliable source", Yugi grumbled before jumping as Anzu grasped his arm and started to speak excitedly: "You and Otomya-kun are seeing each other? Really?"

"Well, we've only had one date so far", Yugi confessed with a soft pink blush dusting his cheeks. "And even then we just played a game on my consol."

"But that doesn't change the fact that you two are now officially a couple", Katsuya pointed out, lifting a finger for emphasis. Then he straightened himself as he continued with what he suspected to be a goofy smile on his face: "And if things go well, soon Yugi won't be the only one."

"Aa", Anzu said in a teasing manner as she gave Katsuya a knowing smile. "So you and Kaiba-kun finally worked things out? You finally allowed him to be your boyfriend."

"I'm not saying anything until I hear the words from Seto's mouth", Katsuya spoke as his smile faded away to give room to a more serious expression. "I don't want to take him for granted so I won't assume anything."

"Oh please", Honda drawled with a snort. "Anyone can see that Kaiba worships the ground you walk on." The brunet glanced at Katsuya from the corner of his eye. "Or, at least would like to worship your body."

Immediately feeling his cheeks beginning to burn at the implications of the other's words, Katsuya snapped heatedly: "Shut up, you pervert!"

"I only say things as I see them", Honda said with a nonchalant shrug. "In my opinion, Kaiba is the real pervert for looking at you the way he does."

"Or then your mind is dirty for misinterpreting those glances", Anzu spoke out, surprisingly deciding to rise to Katsuya's defence. "I mean, any fool could see that Kaiba-kun is simply love-struck."

"Okay!" Katsuya exclaimed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms in front of him as if to ward off any more suggestions. "I think we have discussed this matter enough for, let's say, the rest of our lives!" The blond had decided that he was better off not knowing where this conversation would have been directed next. Not to mention he preferred not to have everyone sharing their thoughts on Seto's possible feelings for him.

The conversation came to a stop then and the group crossed a street in reasonably companionable silence, the school gates rising up before them. And beside those gates stood Otomya, who was looking into their direction eagerly for obvious reasons. The crimson-eyed teen was naturally accompanied by Seto, who had his arms crossed over his chest in an imposing manner as he leaned his back against the wall behind him. Katsuya was not bothered by the brunet's physical appearance, however, as he knew that the other male always had a faint smile to give to him.

"Seto!" Katsuya cheered as he broke away from his group of friends to rush over to the brunet. Otomya stepped to the side to give the two of them room before starting to wave at Yugi, clearly hoping to catch a moment with the amethyst-eyed boy.

"Morning, Seto", Katsuya spoke as he lifted himself up to plant a chaste kiss on the brunet's cheek, who smiled at him before taking a hold of his hand and questioning: "Does this mean we're boyfriends?"

Katsuya's eyes drifted down as his cheeks started to burn, but the blond lifted his gaze back to the other's blue eyes before replying: "If you'll still have me."

"There's no doubt about it", Seto answered with a smirk as he brought the hand he was holding to his lips and brushed a gentle, caressing kiss over the knuckles. "I put too much effort into getting you to let you go now."

Such words and gestures would have normally sent Katsuya into a defensive fit of anger but now the blond was in love and consciously aware of it. So, he merely slipped his hand out of the other's slack grip as his cheeks burned further with embarrassment and then spoke: "The rule to lay down the PDA still stands."

Seto's eyes twinkled with mischievous amusement as the brunet released a chuckle and mumbled: "Understood." Then his lips curved into that specific smirk that always had the hairs on Katsuya's neck rising in anticipation and he leaned down to murmur into the blond's ear: "But I simply can't help myself sometimes."

A shiver of pleasure went up Katsuya's spine at the tone of voice and close proximity. The blond was now effectively dazed enough so that Seto could grab his bag and wrap an arm around his waist to lead him into the school building. By the time Katsuya recovered enough to be able to protest the gesture the damage had already been done as Honda chortled at the blond's expense. With his dignity already gone through the window at the sound, Katsuya merely leaned further into his boyfriend's side. After all, it was not nearly as embarrassing as the cuddle fest they found Yugi and Otomya engaged in a couple minutes later in the hall right in front of the classroom where their first lesson was supposed to be held.

_Earlier…_

"My plan is done", Seto spoke out suddenly, immediately bringing his companion's attention to himself. The silence that had been hanging in the air around the two teens had given Seto the perfect opportunity toinform Yami of the latest progress the brunet had made with Katsuya.

"Oh?" came Yami's questioning response. "What happened?"

"I got Katsuya to see that I can change", Seto spoke out, his head tilting to the side as he glanced down the street absent-mindedly. He was trying to spot a telltale mop of dark blond hair.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Yami asked in a thoroughly flabbergasted manner. "Make sense."

A sigh came from Seto and the brunet lifted two fingers to his left temple in a sign of exasperation before beginning to explain: "When I first met Katsuya, I was a self-centred person. I acted rude towards him, to say the least. Katsuya started to think that there was nothing more to me than that, but I changed. People change and I wanted to show him that I could change too."

"And how did you accomplish that exactly?" Yami queried, crossing his arms over his chest.

"While we were plotting ways to get you and Yugi together, Katsuya and I spent a lot of time together. In the end, I think he managed to see how considerate I could be if I wanted to. I showed him that I had grown up." When Yami did not comment on the last bit, Seto spoke out slowly but never hesitantly: "I took advantage of your situation. Is that upsetting to you?" To most it would have been.

Yami merely smiled and then shook his head, saying: "That was our deal, wasn't it?" The star-haired teen grinned widely. "Besides, I'm too happy with Yugi to hold a grudge." Next the shorter boy looked curious. "How did it go anyway? After Jou saw you for who you can be?"

"Actually…" Seto murmured, frowning as he considered the question. "I'm not entirely certain." Sure, Katsuya had agreed to making out with him, had participated rather eagerly actually, but the blond had not given any clues to how serious he wished for their relationship to be. It was about then that Yami's attention shifted to elsewhere. A moment later Katsuya and Yugi arrived with their friends and Seto received a good-morning kiss from the blond. After that everything seemed just a tad bit more hopeful to the previously sceptical Seto.

&

Yugi had to be the single most amazing person in the world, Yami thought dreamily as he watched the boy walk onto the stage dressed up in his costume for the play. The smaller boy looked so beautiful in the frilly dress, even though it was still incomplete at some parts. The dress, as well as all the other costumes, originated from the school basement but a couple of girls in their class had been working on having them fitted for the actors.

The pale fabric of the dress brought out Yugi's pale complexion and the high, elaborate collar brought the watcher's attention to the boy's face, which had to be Yugi's most charming physical aspect in Yami's opinion. His little boyfriend looked simply angelic and Yami could hardly wait to get to sweep the amethyst-eyed boy off his feet.

"You're almost drooling, Otomya", came the mumble form their director and Yami immediately shot Bakura a glare. Even though the albino had helped him and Yugi get together, it was going to take a while for him to forgive the other for kissing Yugi. Yami may not have shown it, but he could hold a grudge very well.

"I'm allowed to", Yami defended himself before straightening the dark jacket of his own costume. Yugi had found it amusing how their costumes seemed to be each other's opposites in colours and had made a comment on the possibility of the situation being the same for their natures as well. Yami had then asked if that made Yugi the light to his darkness, which had caused the other boy to blush in that adorable manner only he could manage. That was when Yami had decided that his pet name for Yugi would from then on be 'Hikari'. Yugi had not really objected to it so Yami came to the conclusion that it was fine.

"Alright, let's get started now!" Bakura bellowed and clapped his hands together for emphasis. "We haven't got all day and this play needs to be ready to be performed this Saturday." The albino pointed at Yugi imposingly. "You, Mutou! Get over here! We'll be doing the scene of the princess' first meeting with the prince." The brown-eyed youth turned to Yami. "And you, try to get your lines out right instead of staring at your boyfriend."

"Right, right", Yami mumbled as he waved his hand at the other boy. "I'll give you all a show."

"I certainly hope it's the kind of show we can show to all those innocent little sisters", Bakura grumbled as he walked off with Yami glaring at his back. He was starting to get annoyed with the taller teen constantly bugging him.

Everyone moved away from the middle of the stage to give the two actors room while Yami took his position on the edge of the stage next to a paper imitation of a rose bush. The crimson-eyed youth walked across the stage like he had done so many times before during practise, so used to the action that he trusted himself to know where he put his feet without missing a step.

Because of his distracted mind, the teen did not notice how the stage surface seemed to shine on one spot, like it had been freshly waxed, and ended up loosing his footing when the slippery surface caused him to lose his balance. At one moment the teen was tilting backwards and the next thing he was aware of was the blinding pain in his right leg that caused him to cry out.

"Oh no, Yami!" came Yugi's worried voice over Bakura's loud curses. Yami squeezed his eyes shut at the soaring pain in his leg; it did not matter if he held them open or not when the pain caused his vision to turn black. The teen was barely aware of it when people began jumping off the stage to check his condition.

"Yami, Yami, where does it hurt?" Yugi questioned in a worried, teary voice. Yami wished above anything else that he could hold the other and whisper reassurances into the boy's ear, but was too weakened by the pain to do so. Instead the crimson-eyed teen forced himself to utter out a response: "L-leg."

"Damn it", Bakura's familiar voice growled from Yami's other side. "We need to get him to the school nurse."

"Do you think she's still in this late?" came the voice of Yugi's female friend Mazaki. "Doesn't her shift end when the lessons do?"

"Nah, she's in until the club activities are over", Bakura replied certainly and Yami's sight cleared enough for the teen to see the other's deep frown. "I've been down at her office often enough to know."

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed Yami's injured leg, causing the boy to yelp at the renewed pain. His vision blurred once more and Yami's eyes slipped shut as the new person pulled the boot off of his injuredappendage.

"Jou, what are you doing?" Yugi's voice questioned in an alarmed manner and Yami opened his eyes a fraction to see a blurry shape with blond hair that could only be Jou peering at his leg.

"It's broken", Jou spoke out and Yami closed his eyes in acceptance. That tone left no room for uncertainty and Yami was fairly certain that Jou had enough experience to recognize a broken leg once he saw one. At first Yami had had some difficulties with connecting the easygoing blond to the teenage gangster he had heard of in his previous hometown, but it was very unlikely that there would be two Jounouchi Katsuya's in Domino.

A surprised exclamation escaped from Yami when he felt himself being grabbed and dragged to his feet. The teen placed his weight on his uninjured foot when Bakura pulled his right arm over his shoulders and spoke: "I seriously doubt you're going to be acting with that leg, if it really is broken."

"We're going to need someone to play the part of the prince", Mazaki commented with a frown and her arms crossed. "Otherwise the play is finished."

"I'll play Yami's part", Seto's voice came from above. The brunet standing on the stage lifted an eyebrow at the startled, wide-eyed looks he received from everyone and then spoke: "I wasn't kidding when I offered to be a spare actor."

"Then the play is saved!" Jou said cheerfully while smiling widely up at the brunet. "I so love you right now, Seto."

Yami saw Seto smile at the possibly unintentional choice of words before his attention was stolen by Yugi as the boy spoke out: "I can't act either, Jou. I have to take care of Yami."

As moving as Yugi's words were to Yami, to Jou they were poison. This became apparent from the almost injured tone of voice that came from the blond as he whined: "Yugi? How dare you of all people ruin my play?"

The body Yami was leaning against quaked with a brief laugh before Bakura spoke out in an amused manner: "Now it's your play all of a sudden?"

"There's no need to lose your cool, Jou-kun", Mazaki hurried to reassure the distraught blond. "You know the lines, right? You could play the princess."

"Ah!" Jou exclaimed with a blush. The red faded away quickly, though, as the blond huffed and spoke: "Fine! Whatever!" He ran a hand through his hair in an exasperated gesture. "We'll need to prepare new costumes to match the changes."

"We'll work something out", Mazaki spoke in an encouraging tone as she patted the blond's shoulder. Yami had to marvel at the girl's optimism even as Bakura added in: "I'll work everyone to the bone. We'll have the costumes ready in time for the play." There was something thoroughly malicious in the other's tone of voice and suddenly Yami wished that he was in anyone else's but Bakura's care.

"Don't harm them", came Mazaki's plead to the albino, who merely huffed: "Pfft. Spoil sport." Bakura shrugged and Yami struggled to keep his hold on the other's shoulders. "I guess I'll 'encourage' them then or something."

"Spare us the details and we'll all feel better about it", Jou muttered and Bakura snickered in response. With that the albino turned to Yami and spoke: "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure", Yami replied and wobbled a bit. The movement was stopped by Jou, who came to secure Yami's other side before saying to Bakura: "Between the two of us this should be easy."

Bakura nodded his head in response before turning to Yugi and questioning: "Will you be coming along to watch over your sweetheart?"

Even as he blushed a bright red, Yugi still managed not to stutter as he answered: "Of course", and began leading the way out of the auditorium. After the group had made it into the hallway, Jou chose to speak up: "How did you managed to trip like that, Otomya?"

"I know this is going to sound strange…" Yami started, directing his gaze to the floor as he remembered the sensation of his foot slipping like he had been walking on wet ice. "There was something wrong with the floor. It was a lot more slippery than normal."

"Did someone spill something there?" Yugi questioned and Yami had to smile at the boy's naïveté. A glance to both of his sides revealed to Yami that both Bakura and Jou were looking thoughtful, though Jou's thoughtful frown deepened into an angry one as the blond apparently came up with something.

"A penny for your thoughts", Yami prompted the blond and suddenly both Yugi and Bakura also had directed their attention to Jou, who stayed silent for one thoughtful moment longer before speaking out: "The girls had home economics before play practise."

"What are you getting at?" Yami questioned with a frown at the blond, who directed his gaze to the floor and spoke: "I don't really want to point fingers without proof…" The look on the teen's face told a different story all together; there was foul play going on and Jou was planning on doing something about it.

**_To be continued…_**

Ending Notes: I bet you all can guess just who is the one behind Yami's 'accident'… At any matter, there's still one more chapter to go. See you then. Ta!


	28. Reality Check

**Play Your Part, Yugi**

**Chapter 28**

**Reality Check**

It was not difficult for Katsuya to guess who was behind Otomya's injuring tumble. The culprit was most likely a girl, since laying a booby trap for someone was not in the style of any of the boys in their class. The blond even had a suspicion on the method used. After all, he had pointed out that the girls in their class had had home economics earlier that day.

After leaving Otomya and Yugi in the nurse's office, Katsuya and Bakura made their way back to the auditorium. During the walk there the blond told his companion about his suspicions and also asked the other for a favour that Bakura seemed to have no problem helping with. As soon as Katsuya had opened the door to the auditorium, Bakura was making his way towards the side of the stage, where everyone had left their schoolbags. Katsuya, on the other hand, walked over to the chattering cluster the students had formed.

"How is Otomya-kun?" Anzu questioned as soon as Katsuya made his way to the group. "Was his leg really broken?"

"It's definitely broken", Katsuya replied with a sigh. "The nurse said so too. Otomya's medical file said that the same leg had been broken before a few months back and that's the reason it happened so easily." The blond ran a hand through his hair. "She said that Otomya's going to have to be really careful with it for a longer while this time to make sure it heals properly. So, he won't be well soon enough to act in the play."

"So he won't be acting with Yugi-kun then?" a feminine voice asked and Katsuya looked at the almost gleeful expression on Misa's face. Honestly, could that girl be any more obvious?

"No, he won't", Katsuya replied. "And Yugi won't be acting either." The blond took pleasure in giving the girl that bit of unfortunate news.

"I got it, Jou", Bakura spoke out suddenly and at that instant the teen in question was by Katsuya's side, lifting up a brown schoolbag with a small pig good luck charm.

"Hey! What are you doing with my bag?" Misa snapped suddenly and Katsuya grabbed the item in question before replying: "Remember that you confessed to it being yours." And with that he flipped the bag open and instantly laid eyes on a rolled up ball of tissue paper, which he pulled out of the bag with flourish.

"What's that?" Anzu asked and Katsuya handed it over to the girl to inspect as he spoke: "It's the proof that little Misa-chan here caused Otomya's accident. She took a piece of butter from home economics class and rubbed it onto the stage before practise."

As Katsuya explained, Anzu had opened up the package and revealed a mostly used up piece of butter inside. The brunette was blinking at the item in dumbfounded surprise, while a new voice commented: "Very good, Katsuya. I checked the stage and it really is smeared with butter in one spot."

Katsuya whirled around to meet Seto's gaze and gave the brunet a thankful nod before turning back to Misa and speaking out: "So, now that we have you cornered, are you going to tell us your motive like a TV show villain?"

"I didn't want them to kiss!" Misa shrieked out. The girl had been growing steadily redder during the time Katsuya had spent talking to Anzu and now her temper flared. "If they had kissed in front of a whole crowd, they would have fallen in love and become a couple!"

"The hell?" Bakura snarled from beside Katsuya but the blond elbowed the other teen into the side and spoke out: "It's a play! A bunch of make-belief that has no connection to real life." He released a huff. "What kind of bad chick comics have you been reading? They've kissed plenty during practise. Not to mention they are a couple already."

The look on Misa's face at that final part was priceless; it was twisting mess between disgust, anger and sadness. Katsuya was not a cruel person by nature but the blond doubted that Yugi would have been able to feel sympathy for the girl when she started to sob and scream about the injustice of all.

A sigh came from Katsuya while Bakura muttered quite the few unflattering things about Misa. Sure, the play had brought Otomya and Yugi close, but that did not have as much to do with them kissing as them spending time together. Forcing the two to kiss had only served to make the unstoppable process quicker.

"I don't think you should act in the play, Misa-chan", Anzu spoke out then and Bakura instantly joined in: "Yeah, we don't want a crazy bitch around causing more accidents."

When no one said anything to scold Bakura for his choice of words, it became obvious that nobody disagreed with the statement. It was clear that the girl was going to be reported to a teacher as soon as possible. Katsuya trusted Anzu to be the one to do it.

"Maid B", Katsuya spoke out suddenly, turning to the black-haired girl he remembered to have the part in question. "You've been in most of the scenes with the princess, so you should know some of the lines already. Consider the part yours."

"You can't do that!" Misa shrieked. "I'm the best actress here!"

"Yeah, you acted like you were a normal person well enough", Bakura snarled and Katsuya added in: "And school plays really are such high class theatre, aren't they?" And with that it was settled; Misa was out of the play for good.

_Next Saturday_

"I have to say…" Yugi spoke out from his seat curled up against Yami's side. "Jou makes a lot better princess than I would have."

The play was currently in full swing and Yugi watched how his blond-haired friend with strange familiarity in the long dress. The girls had done an amazing job with the make up; Yugi really would have been surprised in anyone in the audience would have realized that one of the princesses was really a boy.

"I'm not sure about that", Yami grumbled. The crimson-eyed teen's right leg was now in a cast and was currently perched on top of the chair in front of them. The reason Yugi had suggested that they sit in the back had been so that Yami could rest his leg in one of the chairs in the row in front of them. Yami had agreed to the suggestion when Yugi had pointed out that if they sat in the back row they could cuddle all they wanted. Yami had been too proud to agree to agree to the seating arrangements otherwise.

"What's wrong, Yami?" Yugi asked from his boyfriend, who scoffed before answering: "I just think that you look about ten times better in a dress; it's such a shame that I can't see any more of that now."

"Y-Yami!" Yugi hissed with a bright red blush. "You're not saying I look girly, are you?"

"No, I'm saying you're beautiful", Yami corrected easily with a shrug. "As far as I'm concerned, there's a big difference."

&

Behind all the people watching the play stood a lone teenage boy. He was not interested in the play in the least and only had eyes for the two boys sitting closely together in the last row. The two boys looked exactly the same from behind but the teen knew that the taller one of the two was the person he had been looking for during the last three months.

'Finally, Yami…' the teenager thought with a smirk. 'Finally I found you.'

Just then someone pushed past the teen rudely, marching into the room like he owned the place. The impression was broken, however, when the young man's steps led him to the side, indicating a wish to hide in the sidelines to avoid being noticed. The teen in the doorway continued to observe the newcomer and noticed that his fists were clenched tightly as he watched the stage without blinking.

Curious on the other's reasons for such close scrutiny, the teen also directed his gaze to the stage for what was probably the first time and saw a tall, brown-haired boy lean down to kiss a very flat-chested girl.

Once again the teen smirked when he realized that the other actor was not a girl at all. A chuckle escaped from between his lips as he conducted in an amused manner: "I guess school plays don't all suck." And another short chuckle erupted from between lips that still wore a sadistic smirk.

_**The End**_

Ending Notes: Sorry about leaving you guys hanging. I've been really busy with exams at the university for the last month.

Now, I think it's apparent to all of you people that this is not exactly _the end_, but a yet another marker of where one part begins and another begins. This is correct. The next part is probably going to be the shortest one of the bunch; I'm aiming for about eight chapters, and it's main function is going to be to help time pass by in the characters' world as well as to introduce a new character and something this story has not had much yet: plot. I'll reveal more information in the author's notes for the next part so that this message won't grow to be longer than the chapter itself. So, without further ado, a summary of the next part:

Seto is under the belief that he isn't as good of a boyfriend as he could be, which results in the brunet getting some not-so-brilliant ideas. In the meantime Katsuya receives a visit from a couple of old 'friends' while Yami is in for a rude awakening: starting over is a difficult task to accomplish, especially when your past runs after you faster than you can escape.

See you next time for "Play Your Part, Seto", and find out the identity of the two lurkers!


End file.
